Of Wizards, Rooders, and Clocks
by LoneWolf218
Summary: Two bad days in London collide, throwing a pair of teenagers into a desperate battle for survival against a plot years in the making with only each other to rely on. Pre Goblet of Fire / Clock Tower 3
1. A Chance Meeting

**Of Wizards, Rooders, and Clocks**

Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting

_AN: Yet another strange, random crossover. I don't own either Harry Potter or Clock Tower 3; this is just my weird brain's crazy mixture of the two (with some modifications)._

Harry Potter was used to surprises, both good and bad. When he was eleven, he had learned that he was a wizard, free to escape his horrid home life. When he was twelve, he had learned that he had some of the powers of Voldemort, the dark wizard who had murdered his parents and given him the scar that made him famous. When he was thirteen, he had learned that he had a godfather who loved him, even if he could not live with the man since he was a wanted criminal (falsely accused.)

Now, going on fourteen and as if fulfilling a pattern, he was being dealt another unpleasant shock.

"What?" he gasped.

"Don't take that tone with me, boy," Uncle Vernon said through his bristling mustache as he shook the fork spearing a piece of grapefruit at Harry across the table. "Petunia, Dudley and myself are going on holiday, and you are to contact your _friends,_" somehow he turned that word into a curse, "and stay with them for the remainder of the summer. There is no discussion."

Normally, this statement would have made Harry ecstatic. He hated his summers on Privet Drive, hated the constant fearful glares of his aunt, uncle and cousin. He didn't belong here, he never had; he belonged in the Wizarding World with his friends.

However, this revelation could not have come at a worse time. He had just this morning sent Hedwig, his messenger owl and only friend in this place, away with letters to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. While the trip was not a particularly long one, it would take her time to return, especially considering that she would probably take the chance to stretch her wings by taking a circular route back. Until she arrived, he was effectively isolated from the Wizarding world.

Which, again, would not have been a problem if he'd been told the Dursely's were leaving _before lunch time the day of the event! _This was partially his fault: he'd made a habit of trying to avoid his family as much as possible, so he'd missed the planning that had certainly occurred, but they could have at least made sure to inform him!

"Please," he said. "It'll be days before He- before I can get a letter to them. If I can just stay-"

"You will not stay in this house while we are gone!" Uncle Vernon roared. "It's a miracle we keep you at all, considering what you did to Marge!"

Personally, Harry though Aunt Marge had deserved what she'd gotten after the lies she'd thrown at his dead mother and father, but he was wise enough to keep this thought to himself. "But-"

"No." This time it was Aunt Petunia who spoke up, her lips thin. "The decision has been made."

Harry bit back a word that would have gotten him the back of his uncle's hand a few years ago: he was in trouble now. He supposed he could try and make his way to the Leaky Cauldron: he'd spent part of last summer there, but he wasn't sure if the Knight Bus ran during the day, and he didn't have the Muggle money to make it there by "normal" means. Until then, he was stuck, and Uncle Vernon had made it clear he was not welcome in the house.

"Fine," he muttered. "I'll get my stuff." Uncle Vernon looked like he wanted to tell Harry off for his tone again, but seeming to decide that Harry was sufficiently unhappy for his liking, he let the young wizard go back to his room. Gathering up his possessions took little time: Harry made a point of not unpacking more than he absolutely had to in this place. Pausing only to pin a note on the window for Hedwig to meet him at the Leaky Cauldron (he wasn't sure if she could read, but she'd shown herself to be brilliant enough that it wouldn't surprise him) he made his way back down the stairs. Maybe Ms. Figg would let him stay until-

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard Aunt Petunia speaking quietly to Uncle Vernon. "We could drop him off at that boarding house that's on the way," she said. As Uncle Vernon started to open his mouth to argue, she continued. "It's not out of the way, and it will keep him from sneaking back in here after we've left." This seemed to satisfy Harry's uncle, as he nodded, though his face still showed annoyance at even this most minor of delays.

"Get in the car, don't disturb our luggage," he barked at Harry as he stomped out the door. Harry glanced at Aunt Petunia, who just gave him a long look before following her husband.

As Harry found a place to put his school trunk, he dared to open his mouth again. "What boarding house?"

"Don't ask questions," Aunt Petunia said, seemingly instinctively. However, after a moment she seemed to decide it was a harmless enough question. "It's a little place I know, just outside of London. I met the owner at an event once. Fine lady, you will not give her any trouble, understood?"

Harry nodded, his thoughts racing. Depending on just how far this "boarding house" was outside of London, he might be able to make his way to the Leaky Cauldron during the day after all: hopefully it wouldn't be that far.

The trip passed in tense silence: Dudley's massive bulk taking up most of the back seat even as he tried to keep as far away from Harry as possible. Harry did his best to keep track of where he was, but was soon lost: while not as confusing as Hogwarts the area outside of Privet Drive was almost completely unknown to him.

Finally, half an hour later, Uncle Vernon pulled to the side of the street. "This the place?" he asked Aunt Petunia, who nodded. "Right, boy, get out." Harry nodded sullenly, yanking his trunk out of the car and looking at the house, down at the end of a long path.

It was a large, imposing building, almost a mansion. It looked quite old, its stones weathered and worn in a way that made it seem venerable, almost like Hogwarts in that respect. A part of Harry had to admit he was a bit sad he'd only be there for a few hours: it seemed like it'd be a fun place to explore.

"Boy," Shaking himself from his thoughts, Harry turned to see Aunt Petuina holding several bills out of the window. "For Mrs. Hamilton's troubles," she said sharply. "I will expect you to return any you do not spend." Because of course the idea of Harry getting any money for himself was absolutely ridiculous, though he supposed he was getting his own back with the massive Gringotts bank vault his parents had left him that he was keeping hidden from the Dursleys.

"Have a nice holiday," he said, somehow keeping the cheek from his voice. Aunt Petunia stared at him for a long moment before Uncle Vernon pulled away and drove off, leaving Harry behind.

Taking a deep breath, Harry turned towards the home. He'd only stay here until nightfall, then he'd return to the Leaky Cauldron, contact his friends when Hedwig arrived, and then hopefully go to the Burrow for the rest of the summer. Ron had mentioned that the Quidditch World Cup was going to happen sometime in the summer and that Mr. Weasley would likely be able to get tickets, so he'd have gone there anyways. He was just… ahead of schedule, not that he minded. He loved the Weasley family, and it would be good to see them again. Despite the rude shock of it, things were looking up for Harry Potter.

Looking back, he'd wonder why he'd gone and tempted fate like that.

Making his way up the path, he knocked on the door. After a long minute of silence, he knocked again more loudly. Still nothing. Harry frowned: surely at a boarding house this size _someone _would be near enough to the door to at least see who was here. Wouldn't it just be his luck that this wasn't actually a boarding house, and he was now stuck until nightfall. And from the looks of those clouds, it was going to be a miserable day to boot. Ignoring the car driving down the road behind him, Harry raised his hand to knock again.

Then the sound of someone clearing their throat came from behind Harry, causing him to spin around.

* * *

Alyssa Hamilton was not having a good day, which seemed especially unfair since it was the day before her fifteenth birthday. It had started out like any other day-before-ones-birthday when one lived in a boarding school over the summer holiday: she woken, prepared herself for the day, greeted the few others who stayed over holiday, and started considering whether it would be better to finish some of her assignments or if she could afford to take the day off, perhaps practice her archery a bit.

She hadn't been surprise when the letter from her mother had come: she'd sent something every year since Alyssa had left home. The girl wished she could visit more often, but she trusted that her mother had her reasons for having Alyssa stay here.

Then she'd read the letter, and she'd never been more scared in her life.

Go into hiding? Danger? What could possibly be happening? Her family wasn't poor by any means, but she didn't think that she'd be a target of kidnapping for ransom, which was the only threat Alyssa could think of. She didn't have any enemies, and she couldn't imagine that her mother had any. Her grandfather? He'd disappeared when traveling three years ago, but if this was about him, then why was she getting this letter now? And what was so special about her fifteenth birthday? What was going _on?_

Then, she'd been told that her mother was calling her, and she'd rushed to the phone: hoping that she could get some answers, but there had been nothing. Just silence on the other end until _somebody _hung up on her increasingly panicked questions.

Intellectually, Alyssa knew that she should obey her mother's wishes and hide somewhere. She could even think of a few places: Dennis would probably be happy to let her stay for a few days, as would a few other friends who didn't stay at school over the holiday. She should go to one of them, right away… but she wasn't scared for herself. She was scared for her mother. What could have happened to her? Why had she sent a letter, then called, but not spoken? Was she in trouble? Was she hurt? Or worse?

Alyssa had considered calling the police, but she didn't have any proof that anything bad had happened. They'd say a strange letter was nothing to get concerned over, the call would likely be chalked up to a bad connection. They would tell her to relax, to try again later.

No, Alyssa had to discover the truth for herself.

'Sorry, Mum,' she thought as she paid the fare for the cab and started making her way towards her home, the one she hadn't seen in years. For some reason, while her mother would occasionally visit her at school, she had been told never to return here.

Well, if her mother didn't want Alyssa coming back, she shouldn't have _worried _her so much.

As she trotted up the path towards her home, Alyssa didn't notice that she wasn't the only one there until she'd almost run up the steps into him.

He was a boy about her age, with messy black hair that looked like it had never been combed. He wore cloths that looked several years old and at least a size too big for him, which combined with his short size made him seem almost unhealthily scrawny. This was odd, as he had a large, well-made trunk standing next to him with a bird cage on top, neither of which were cheap. Alyssa forced the frown off her face: he looked like a runaway or ragamuffin and she didn't have _time _to deal with him, she needed to find her mother!

However, twelve years at home and three in a well-to-do boarding school had drilled the social niceties into her, and so she politely cleared her throat, stepping back to the bottom of the stairs, her back straight and her case gripped firmly in front of her. The boy turned to face her, his eyes widening behind his unflattering glasses. A distant part of her noted that this was a shame, as the eyes themselves were such a striking green that they deserved better. She also noticed a strange scar peeking out from under his bangs, one shaped like a lightning bolt. However, she pushed these thoughts from her mind so she could focus on getting him on his way so that she could go back to what was really important.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, jerking his head back at the door. "Is this the boarding house that belongs to a Mrs. Hamilton?"

Alyssa nodded: her thoughts racing. She didn't remember much about the boarders, but she did remember that children were rare. When she was younger, she'd always been a little sad about that, she'd have liked to have someone to talk to. Besides, this boy didn't seem to be with anyone at all, and if children were rare, _lone _children were unheard of. Was he actually a runaway? "It is," she said, playing for time as she scooted up the stairs, carefully keeping space between herself and the boy. "Are you staying here?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "I was told to," he said, a faint note of bitterness in his voice. "Don't worry, I just need someplace until nightfall: I won't _trouble _you for long." Alyssa flinched at the subtle stress he put on the word: she hadn't thought she was being that obvious.

"My apologies," she said. "I've just returned myself. I hope you haven't been waiting long."

He shrugged. "Just a few minutes," he said. "If this isn't a good time, I can go elsewhere."

Alyssa shook her head. "No, I'm sure mother can find space for you for a few hours," she said. "I'm surprised none of the other lodgers have opened the door. Just a moment." She reached over and eased the door open before stepping back and gesturing him in. He studied her for a long moment before gathering up his trunk and pulling it in, allowing Alyssa to follow.

As she stepped into the front hall, she took a moment to look around. The hall was dark, its lights off and the sun blocked by the clouds that covered the sky, giving what should have been a comforting sight an ominous air. "Mum?" she called softly, stepping past the boy into the center of the room. "There's a guest here."

There was no answer save for the echoes of her own voice. Not from her mother, not from another boarder, nobody. It was as if the house was completely deserted. It was _never _this deserted, never this silent, and it hit Alyssa that it wasn't just a lack of voices. She couldn't hear anything, no ticking of clocks, no footsteps, nothing. Her childhood home, always a place of comfort and safety, now had a menacing aura. Glancing back at the boy, she noticed that his shoulders were tense, and his eyes were moving quickly from place to place… almost as if he was as nervous as she was.

"Wait here," Alyssa said, starting to walk up the stairs, keeping both hands firmly on the handle of her case to stop them from trembling. Something wasn't right, something was very, very wrong…

She squeaked as a sudden _creak _came from her left, only barely keeping her balance as she spun to look. It was the doors to the dining room, opening seemingly of their own volition. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back down the stairs, squared her shoulders, and walked over, trying to project more confidence than she felt. She heard the boy following a few steps behind her, but she didn't look back as she entered the room.

As she looked around, at first she saw nothing. Like the hall, this room seemed unchanged, the same large, fancy wooden table dominating much of the room, a fire glowing in the hearth to mix with the faint light shining through the windows. However, as she took another step into the room, a sudden motion caught her eye.

There was a large man sitting in a chair that had been pulled out from the table, staring out the window. Even seeing just his back, she could tell that he was the opposite of the boy: his heavy black coat was perfectly fitted and looked brand new: his hat covering whatever hair he might have had. He stood, not turning to face her, and started moving towards the window, the fancy cane in his hand tapping slightly against the floor.

Clearing her throat, Alyssa forced herself to speak in something above a squeak. "Um, excuse me, are you one of the lodgers?"

"Yes, I am," the man said, his voice deep and rich, though his tone… something about it made Alyssa want to run as fast and as far as she could and not look back. However, she forced herself to stand her ground: he might know where her mother was.

Pushing a smile onto her face, Alyssa stepped forward. "Oh. I'm Alyssa, Nancy's daughter," she said. The man didn't deign to answer, or even look in her direction, and so after a moment Alyssa tried again. "Um, do you know where my mother is?"

"Your mother has gone out," the man said. "That was early yesterday morning."

"Huh?" Alyssa said. That didn't make any sense, she'd called just a few hours ago, how could she have gone out _yesterday?_

The man continued. "She mentioned that she would not be coming back for some time." Alyssa gasped: that made even _less _sense: her mother was very dedicated to the boarding house: she would never leave it unattended for so long!

"She was wrong," the main said, raising a finger, and Alyssa's blood ran cold as he started to turn towards her, a wide, terrifying smile splitting his pale face. "She won't be coming back… _at all._"

Alyssa's mind went blank as the man continued speaking. No… no that wasn't _possible_. It couldn't be… her mother couldn't be…

She was dragged from the haze of confusion and horror as the man started towards her, walking fast. Her bag fell to the ground as she stumbled back, her legs barely responded to her commands to take her away from this creepy, twisted man, but he was too fast, he was looming over her, reaching out-

"Don't touch her!"

Both Alyssa and the man turned to see the boy, who Alyssa had forgotten about, standing a few feet away with his hand clenched in his pocket.

* * *

Harry didn't take his eyes off the man reaching for Alyssa, not yet drawing his wand. He knew a few good jinxes that would stop the man in his tracks, but he couldn't use them. He was an under-aged wizard: using magic out of school would get him in trouble, especially since he'd already gotten an official warning. It hadn't even been his fault: Dobby had been trying to save his life by getting him locked up, and the house-elf had been the one casting magic. However, without the imminent threat of Sirius Black to cause the Ministry to take it easy on him, Harry didn't want to test his luck unless he had to.

The man didn't continue his advance, instead studying Harry with a calculating stare that would have made Harry squirm if he hadn't been subjected to far worse in his years at Hogwarts. As bad as this creep was, he had nothing on Professor McGonagall or Snape.

"You are brave, little boy," the man said softly, his eyes pausing briefly on Harry's scar. "This matter doesn't concern you; you may leave."

Harry bristled at the condescension in the man's voice: as if he were making some fine gesture by letting Harry walk away and let this girl get assaulted. He may only be thirteen-going-on-fourteen, but he wasn't stupid: he could see where this was going. "I don't think so," he snarled. "I think you should step away from her before you get hurt." He pulled a bit of the handle of his wand out; hopefully the man would think it was a knife and back off.

However, as the man stared at it, Harry saw a flash of recognition, followed by a widening of his smile. "Well well well," he murmured. "This is a surprise." Then, surprisingly, he took a few steps back. "I suppose your boldness does deserve a reward."

Not questioning his good fortune, Harry stepped over the fallen bag to stand in front of Alyssa. Her eyes were wide and a hand was covering her mouth in a silent scream. Gently, he used his free hand to grab her shoulder and pull her away from the man and the door.

"Get out," he growled, jerking his chin towards the door.

The man shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. I have waited for this moment for a long, long time, and though you are not part of my plan, I think you'll be amusing none the less." Laughing once more, he walked out the door. Stepping away from Alyssa, Harry edged forward until he could watch the man climbing the stairs, cackling all the way all the way to a door which he slammed behind him.

As the last echoes of mocking laughter faded away, Harry let go of his wand and turned back to Alyssa, who was staring at him. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I think so," she said, "but who was that man, and what did he want with me."

Harry shook his head: he'd rather hoped she'd know. "Some wierdo," he said. "You've never seen him before?"

She shook her head. "No. I haven't been here in years, Mum never said…" she trailed off, her shoulders slumping as she swallowed. "Mum…"

Harry grimaced: any trace of cool disapproval was gone and all that was left was a scared, lonely girl that he couldn't help but feel for. "The guy was nuts," he said as gently as he could. "She could just be out for a few hours and be on her way back."

She shook her head, slumping against the table. "No… no, something's wrong. She called me this morning, or she tried to, but when I got to the phone there was no one there… and that letter… no, something's happened to her, something's wrong… but I don't know what to do…"

Unfortunately, neither did Harry. His first instinct was to go poking around, see if he could find any clues that might tell him who this guy was and what he wanted. At the same time, however, he could almost hear Hermione screaming in his ear to go to the authorities, and after a few moments of conflict he was forced to accept that was the better idea. "We should get out of here," he said. "That guy's still around, and I don't think I can amuse him enough to get him to go away again." Alyssa looked up, a hint of fire in her eyes as she opened her mouth, but Harry wasn't finished. "I know you want to find your mum, but the best way we can do is get help."

"…Alright," Alyssa said. Harry nodded, grabbing her bag off the floor, grabbed his trunk in his other hand, and dragged it over to the door, keeping his eye on the door the man had gone through just in case he tried to take advantage of Harry's hands being full to attack. However, the man made no appearance, and so Harry dropped his trunk with a bang to grab the handle.

Said handle refused to move.

"What the…" Harry muttered, jiggling it more forcefully. It was well and truly stuck, which was impossible since it had worked just fine when he and Alyssa came in, and the man hadn't gone anywhere near the door. Unless the man could use magic himself. Suddenly, the look he had given Harry's wand made a worrying amount of sense…

"Locked?" Alyssa gasped, hurrying up to stand next to him. "But that's-" Digging into her pocket, she pulled out a key and fiddled with the door handle herself, but she had no more luck than Harry had. "How can this be?"

More mocking laughter filled the hall, and Harry spun again, expecting to see the dark-clothed man back, but there was only emptiness, even though the voice was as clear as if he had been right next to them. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy, my dear Alyssa," the voice said. "You have evaded my grasp for far too long for me to let you go so soon. If you wish to escape, you'll have to play my game."

The pair glanced at each other "Well, there goes that plan," Harry said, trying to force some cheer into his voice. 'I tried, Hermione,' he thought. "Is there someplace in the house where we can hole up while we figure out what to do?"

Alyssa blinked. "I would say my room, but I haven't been here in years, and he…" she shook her head. "No, it's our best bet. Follow me." Reaching out, she took her bag back from Harry and stepped towards the stairs, straightening in a way that told Harry she was trying to seem braver than she felt. Harry again lifted his trunk and followed, allowing one hand to slip into his pocket to be ready to draw his wand in case of trouble.

As the pair ascended the stairs, Alyssa paused. "I… didn't thank you, before," she said. "I'm sorry."

Harry shrugged. "It's alright," he said.

"No, it's not. You saved me. I don't know what that man would have done to me if you hadn't been there, but I don't think it would have been good." She turned to him again, a genuine smile appearing on her face for the first time since he'd met her. "Thank you."

Harry could feel his face heat up slightly as he kicked a stair lightly. "You're welcome," he muttered. "I'm Harry, by the way. Harry Potter."

Alyssa flushed. "Oh," she said. "Sorry. I'm Alyssa Hamilton. My mother owns this house, though I haven't been here for a few years. Boarding school."

Harry nodded. "Right," he said. "But we should get to your room before that weirdo gets bored and comes back." For some reason, Alyssa choked slightly at his words, but she steeled herself and led the way up the rest of the stairs, turning right. Both of them held their breath as they passed the door the man had gone through, but he didn't leap out to attack them, allowing them to go along the balcony to the next door. Alyssa flipped to another key on her ring, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Harry blinked as he followed her: this room was nearly the size of _both _of Dudley's put together! It was well-furnished and appareled: its fine wooden floor decorated by a thick, well-made carpet. There was another door in the opposite corner leading deeper into the house, while the remaining two corners were dominated by a bed and a small sitting area with a television, with a desk, bookshelf, and cabinet scattered around the remaining walls. Despite all this, the room felt… empty, un-lived-in. Almost like how Harry had made his room in Privet Drive.

Alyssa had put her bag on a counter and hurried to the other door, seeming to check to make sure it was locked. Harry took the opportunity to shove his trunk next to the cabinet before heading to the window. He tried to slide it open, but like the front door it refused to budge. He was just considering whether he should risk trying _Alohamora _on it when Alyssa called his name. He turned to see her sitting on the arm of one of her chairs, staring at him with a worried expression.

"So, what now?" he asked, moving to lean on the other chair.

"We need to find out what happened to Mum," Alyssa said. "She tried to call me, to warn me. She had to have a reason." She sighed. "I hope she's okay…"

"I'm sure she is," Harry said, still trying to sound reassuring. "So, where would she hide a message?"

Alyssa shrugged helplessly. "Her room?" she said.

"Well, it's a place to start," Harry said. "Come on, let's go."

The redhead, however, wasn't finished. "Harry, may I ask you something?"

Biting back a Dumbledore-esque joke that she just had, Harry nodded. "Sure."

"…Why are you helping me? I mean, the man did give you the chance to just leave. Why are you putting yourself in danger for me?"

Harry pondered the question for a moment. It just seemed natural, to want to help someone who was so clearly in trouble. Just as he'd been drawn to the mystery of the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets, he couldn't just leave a situation like this alone. He was sure there was some deep-rooted reason behind this, but for him it was just the way he was. He shrugged. "It just seems the right thing to do," he said.

Alyssa stared at him for a few seconds before another small smile crossed her face "Thank you, Harry," she said. "That… that means a lot to me."

_AN: Here's the first chapter. I don't know if I'll continue this: as I said it's a _weird _crossover. However, I thought I'd put it up and see if anyone likes it._


	2. Ghosts of War

Chapter 2: Ghosts of War

Alyssa led the way out of her room, followed by the strange but kind boy whose presence was the only reason she had any confidence at all. He's scared that man off once before, she was sure he'd be able to do it again.

The Hamilton mansion had been a boarding home for as long as Alyssa could remember, but the portion she led him through had always been for family only. The inner door of her room led into a small common area, where she and Mum would sit and talk after a long day of work and school. They'd been close, as had Grandfather. Even without her father Alyssa had been happy.

Now… she wasn't sure she wasn't the last of her family alive.

Harry coughed slightly from behind her, and Alyssa realized she'd stopped in her tracks. Forcing her worries from her mind, she continued on, passing another roaring fire (another sign that Mum had been here recently: nobody else would have cause to light one in this area.) When she walked around the corner towards her mother's room, however, she skidded to a halt again. "What the…" Harry muttered, stepping past her to stare down the hall.

The door leading to her mother's room had an addition. A large, glowing blue sigil hovered in front of it, pulsing slightly as if it was a beating heart. Even from here, now that she knew to listen for it, Alyssa could hear the crackling hum. She looked at Harry out of the corner of her eye, but he seemed as lost as she was.

"I take it that's not normal," he said, clearly trying to sound casual. Alyssa shook her head, starting forward to take a closer look. "Wait," Harry said, a slight note of urgency in his voice. "It's clearly magical, whatever it is," he continued. "Let's not poke at it."

Alyssa shook her head. "That's the only way to get to Mum's room, so we have to go through," she said. "Stand back," Then, squaring her shoulders, she pushed forward and carefully lay a hand on the knob.

The sigil flared angrily, and before Alyssa could let go a bolt of blue crawled down the door, through the handle, and zapped her hand like an extra-painful static shock. Yelping, she jumped back as more bolts split off, arcing from lamp to lamp down the corridor, shorting them out as they went.

Turning back, Alyssa saw Harry had his hand in his pocket again, frozen a half-step towards her with worry clear on his face. The pair stared at each other for a few seconds before the boy's expression morphed into a clear 'I-told-you-so' look. Feeling defensive, Alyssa clenched her still-painful hand and grumbled. "Well, it was worth a try."

Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment as he moved to stand next to Alyssa, staring at the sigil. "I've never seen anything like this," he murmured, almost to himself. "Some sort of protective charm…"

Alyssa frowned as she realized Harry didn't actually seem as surprised as she'd first thought. He also hadn't seemed nearly as confused as she had about the locked front door, which certainly should have been impossible. Could it be that he knew more about all this than he was saying? It did seem too good to be true that he would want to help a stranger purely from the good of his heart.

"Can you do anything about it?" she asked.

After a moment, Harry shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. "As I said, I've never seen anything like this before, and even if I had…" For some reason, he looked nervous as he said this, more nervous than when that man had been staring him down. "Where else might your mother have left something for you?"

Alyssa shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "And since that thing's there, it must mean that man doesn't want us to get in." She glanced at Harry suspiciously. "Harry… are you not telling me something?"

The boy stared at her for a few seconds before sighing. "Look, it's not that I don't want to tell you," he muttered, scuffing a foot against the ground. "But I can't. There are rules I have to follow, I'm on thin enough ice as it is." He looked around. "Look, if we can't find anything else, if this is the only place where there're answers, I'll give a go at breaking the enchantment, but we need to see if there are other options first."

Alyssa felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. Harry _knew _something, something that could save Mum, and he _wasn't telling her? _How could he ask her to waste time when the answers were clearly _right there?!_ "Fine," she said coolly, spinning on her heel before she said something she'd regret. After all, he had saved her. "There might be something in my grandfather's study, he has a lot of old…" she stumbled to a halt as she came back into the sitting area.

The fire, which had been blazing merrily, was now flickering and sputtering, despite the fact that it had had plenty of wood a few seconds ago. Then, before Alyssa shocked eyes, even those last remnants of the fire petered out, leaving nothing but ash and stone.

"That's not normal…" Harry muttered from behind her. "That shouldn't happen." Alyssa didn't answer, instead hurrying over to crouch down in front of the fireplace. Even the heat that should have lingered was gone without a trace, and that wasn't all that was gone. The scorched stone wall that had made up the back of the fireplace was mysteriously absent, leaving a tidy hole into what looked like some sort of hidden corridor.

'Maybe that leads to Mum's room?' Alyssa thought to herself, trying to get a look.

As she stared, something seemed to come over her. Ever since she had set foot in her old home, she had been tense, worried, and that had only increased as more and more things had gone wrong. Now, gazing at what looked like a beautiful floor leading to some sort of raised dais, a strange sense of calm… peace… settled over her.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Harry yelped from behind her.

"Going through the hole," Alyssa said matter-of-factly as she knelt. "Wait here." Before he could answer, she started to crawl through the fireplace, noting idly that the ashes were actually gone as well; the whole fireplace save the back wall felt like it had never been used. There was something important in here, something she needed to find, no matter what.

Standing, she looked around. The floor looked almost like some sort of mosaic, though if it was Alyssa couldn't tell what it depicted. Graceful, decorated wooden columns lined the way to the statue standing proudly atop the dais that Alyssa had spotted, one of a beautiful woman, rendered in marble with her arms spread invitingly. Golden rods jutted from behind her, giving the appearance of a sunburst, and the more Alyssa looked at the statue, the more she felt called to it.

Sitting on the floor in front of the woman was what looked like a large, ornate bottle, another depiction of a woman making up the neck and handle while bluish glass and gold formed the body. The stopper was a sharp diamond shape, the same color as the glass. What really drew her attention, however, was the letter leaning against it... Alyssa had always had sharp eyes, and those eyes recognized the swirls of the letters on the envelope…

"Mum?" she whispered, her feet taking her automatically forwards. Faintly, she heard Harry's voice from outside, but she didn't care. This was what her mother had left for her, this letter would surely explain everything. It would tell Alyssa how to find her, how to make sure that she was okay… Kneeling, Alyssa picked up the letter with shaking fingers, barely pausing to confirm that it was in fact addressed to her before she ripped it open and unfolded the paper inside.

_'Dearest Alyssa_,' she read. '_I wanted nothing more for you to live peacefully, but if you are reading this, then something has gone terribly wrong. You will need to protect yourself, and for that, you will need this Sacred Bottle_.' Alyssa spared a glance for the bottle in question before looking back at Mum's words. '_During the trials I fear that you will be forced to face, there will be many things that threaten you. While you should always try to flee or hide until you have the treasure you need to defeat the darkness, the Holy Water contained within this bottle will be your last means of defense: douse them, and they will be temporarily halted, allowing you to escape. The Holy Water will also allow you to break through the mystical barriers put in your way_-'

"Alyssa, are you alright?"

Alyssa jumped slightly as she realized Harry had crawled in after her, looking around the hidden room oddly. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I thought I told you to stay outside?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, in my experience crawling into strange fireplaces is a recipe for trouble," he quipped. "Though I will admit this place looks nicer than where I ended up." He nodded to the letter. "Who's that from?"

"Mum," Alyssa said. "She left me the bottle as well. It must be important, just let me figure out how." Without waiting for a response, she turned back to the letter. '_The water within is not unlimited, but the Sacred Bottle will purify any clean water you fill it with, turning it into Holy Water_.'

'_However, not all that you meet will be truly malicious. Some spirits will simply be lost and confused, lashing out in their pain. You will have to treat these ghosts with care and respect, using your power and whatever sentimental items they left from their past lives to usher them onwards. However, they can still be dangerous, so be on your guard: your own safety always comes first_.'

'_Lastly: please remember, Alyssa, that I love you more than anything else in this world, and I always will. I know you will be able to endure the burden that should never have been yours. Be careful, be strong. Mum._' Biting her lip, Alyssa folded the paper and tucked it into her front pocket before picking up the bottle her mother had left for her. Fiddling with it, she found a small trigger mechanism, which caused the stopper to lift off. The water inside was glowing faintly, and when she carefully poured a few drops into her palm they were warm to the touch.

"What's that?"

Alyssa glanced back at Harry, a frown crossing her face. "Why should I tell you?" she asked. "You're not telling me what you know."

Harry snorted. "I told you, I can't," he said. "I'd get in a lot of trouble. Can you say the same?"

Her frown deepening, Alyssa brushed past Harry. "Come on," she said shortly, "this should get us through the sigil." Without waiting for a response, she knelt down and crawled back out into the sitting area, careful not to spill a drop of her mother's precious gift. Once she was out, she walked immediately over to the door and, with a careful motion, splashed some water onto the sigil.

For a moment she watched with bated breath as the liquid drip down the impossibly hard light. However, after that moment the sigil began to glow more brightly, and then with a sudden crash it shattered into a hundred pieces, fading from sight as they fell to the ground.

"Wicked," Harry muttered from behind her. "Does it do anything else?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Alyssa huffed as she turned the handle, careful for any sign that the magic was ready to try and hurt her again. Thankfully, it seemed the spell was truly broken, as she was able to open it without issue and enter her mother's room.

However, just as she was about to step over the threshold, she stopped. Not because of anything she'd seen, but as what she'd just said crashed down on her. Harry had looked genuinely regretful that he couldn't tell her his secret, but she didn't have that excuse. He'd stepped in and protected her from that man, and this was how she was thanking him?

"I'm sorry," she said, turning to face Harry again. "That… was cruel of me. I shouldn't have said that."

The boy's eyes flashed for a moment, but he gave a wry laugh. "It's fine," he said. "I get being annoyed when people keep secrets from you. If I could tell, I would, but… I just can't. Sorry." He gestured to the room behind her. "Come on, let's go find your mum." Nodding, Alyssa turned and fully entered her mother's room.

Like the rest of the building, this room seemed to be all but unchanged. The same table, kept meticulously neat and organized, dominated the center of the room. Book shelves, closets and other storage spaces circled the walls save for the window-side, where Mum's bed was. The old clock in the corner _still _wasn't working, Mum had kept saying she'd get around to fixing it one day but apparently she never had. Now she might never get the chance.

Sighing, Alyssa couldn't help but feel nostalgic. How many times had she come in here, worried by some nightmare or trouble, only for her mother to gather her in her arms and hold her until all was right in the world again? Her own room may have been a place for privacy, the sitting room a place for discussion, but this room had been a place for _comfort, _and it seemed not even her mother's disappearance could completely take that away. Slowly, she made her way to the bed, sitting down to stare around the room. "I'm sorry Mum," she whispered to no one in particular. "I know you told me not to come home, but I couldn't help it. I'm so worried about you…"

Harry, still standing by the door, pretended not to hear her as he started looking around. "So, if there was anything else your mum wanted you to find, where would she have put it?" he asked, pausing at the other door in the room: the one Alyssa had never seen opened.

"I don't know," Alyssa said. She supposed it could be on the computer somewhere, or maybe hidden in one of the files in the hopes that the man wouldn't find it, but she realized that she didn't even know what she was looking for. She'd found the bottle, though, so maybe…

As she mused, she put her hands on the bed to push herself up to help Harry look, only to jerk as she felt something hard under the covers. Glancing down, she pulled back the blanket to see a simple black book sitting on the bed, with what looked like a fancy letter-opener acting as a bookmark. Blinking, Alyssa picked the book up and let it fall open to the marked page.

She screamed and fell back on the bed from trying to leap away, the book falling to the floor, because staring back at her had been a detailed drawing of the very man who had accosted her. His eyes, his cloths, everything about him had been perfectly lifelike, as if he could crawl off the very pages to attack her again.

"Alyssa?!" Harry cried, his hand once again going to his pocket as he spun; whatever secret he held was wrapped up in that pocket.

Before she could answer, before she could even begin to start getting her wits about her, the next shoe dropped in the form of music, blaring as if from nowhere. Leaping to her feet, Alyssa looked around for the source of the music, her thoughts racing. It was too loud to be the radio, which wasn't on anyways. Had Mum put in speakers while Alyssa had been gone? No, she couldn't have, she wouldn't-

"Hey, hey," Harry said, crossing the room in the blink of an eye to stand in front of her as she started descending into panic. "It's just music, it can't hurt you."

With the steadying presence next to her, Alyssa felt her heart rate slow. A moment later, a sense of shame flashed through her she must _really _be out of it if Chopin could spook her that badly! In front of someone else, even! He must think she was mad, a fact which bothered her more than it should.

"But where is it coming from?" she asked.

Harry jerked his chin towards the closed door as the music abruptly stopped, only to restart a moment later. "Sounds like it's from in there. Might want to get that glowy water of your ready; I don't like this." Feeling a little better that Harry was on edge too, Alyssa nodded. Deciding she'd rather be safe than sorry, she grabbed the bottle from where she'd set it on the bed and marching over to the door. Taking a firm grip on both the handle and her bottle, she opened the stopper before yanking on the door.

"Ha!" she said, splashing a generous helping of water in: Mum'd forgive her for getting it on the carpet if there was nothing, and if that man was hiding in there, waiting to leap out at her, he'd get a rude shock. Neither of those things happened, as the water seemed to coalesce in the air. Blinking, Alyssa watched as the droplets started to come together before widening into a glowing oval… so bright… so pretty… she needed to touch it, needed to help… to protect… to save…

"NO!" Harry cried, leaping forward to stop her as her arm lifted without her direct command.

Too late.

Alyssa's hand touched the light, and an instant later she felt an indescribable wrenching feeling as she was yanked forward. This was followed by pain as Harry grabbed her other arm, bottle and all, and tried to pull her back. The magic, however, was stronger, and a moment later both boy and girl were pulled off their feet and into the portal, which faded from sight as soon as they both were gone.

On the floor, the picture of the man seemed to smirk.

* * *

Harry's breath left him in a huff as he fell hard onto something. Groaning, he tried to lift himself up, only to realize that the thing he had landed on was not the ground, but was in fact Alyssa. Alyssa, who was currently laying under him, their faces uncomfortably close to each other. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other, seemingly unable to decide what to do about this strange situation. Finally, Harry's mind caught up with his body, and he felt his face heat up. "Sorry, sorry," he said, rolling off Alyssa, his haste taking him painfully into a nearby wall. "You alright?"

"I think so," Alyssa groaned. Finally getting himself untangled, Harry looked over to see her rubbing her head through her hair. For some reason, he hadn't noticed that it wasn't a true red like the Weasley family, but more… blondie? A mix of red and blonde? It was... Harry shook his head, there were more urgent things to worry about right now. Pushing himself to his feet, he looked around to see where the portal had taken them.

They were in some sort of alleyway, dark and dirty. On one side, a grimy wall blocked all passage, while the other way led to an iron gate out onto an unfamiliar street. Wherever they were, it wasn't Alyssa's house, it wasn't Privet Drive or Diagon Alley, and it certainly wasn't Hogwarts, which meant Harry was completely lost.

"Where are we?" Alyssa said as she pushed herself to her feet, looking around.

"Dunno," Harry said.

Alyssa blinked as she looked around herself, noticing all the same things Harry did. "What… how…"

"It seems that one of your water's many powers is teleportation," Harry quipped. "Do you think it could take us back?"

Alyssa frowned as she picked up the bottle from where it had landed, thankfully undamaged, and opened it to take a look. "There's less in here than I'd hoped," she murmured, but still she tried to splash some on the wall behind them. This time, nothing happened: no glowing portal, no shattering barriers, nothing. "Well that didn't work."

"Then I guess the only way is forward," Harry said, feeling the comforting weight of his wand in his pocket. Landing on Alyssa might have been embarrassing, but at least it had saved his only weapon from the fate of Ron's old wand. "Come on, let's go," Alyssa nodded, and the pair walked down the alley and through the thankfully unlocked gate.

Then everything went wrong.

At first, it was a whistling noise. Harry and Alyssa glanced around nervously, but the young wizard was the one who happened to look up and see the dark shapes overhead. "Duck!" he cried, his Seeker reflexes taking him towards the cover of a nearby barrel. Alyssa, not as agile, yelped as she tried to follow just as a bomb hit the street a few meters away. With a cry, Alyssa was thrown over the barrel and landed on Harry, though thankfully she seemed uninjured.

Then the next bomb exploded, tossing them both back like the club of an angry troll. "The bus!" Harry yelled, grabbing Alyssa's wrist as she tried to stand and dragging her towards the double-decker bus parked against the curb. More bombs were exploding around them, though thankfully most were too far to be of any danger, and those that weren't were behind them. The pair ducked under the bus just as another explosive got close.

"What's going on!?" Alyssa wailed, trying to both hold onto her bottle and cover her head at the same time. Harry didn't waste his breath answering, listening intently for any sign of more close hits. A few more rocked the bus back and forward, but they seemed to be going away. Looking up, Harry saw that the shapes were planes, old, propeller-driven ones, that flew across the sky like a flock of birds. Some memory tried to worm its way into his head, but he was too focused to listen to it right now.

Then, his blood chilled as another explosion sounded seemingly right next to them, causing his ears to ring. Worse, the bus was starting to tilt. "Come on!" he yelled again, hustling Alyssa towards a subway entrance he'd seen away from the way the bus was tipping.

As if mocking him, just as they left cover, another bomb sent the bus toppling towards them. Trying to look over his shoulder to see if they could make it, Harry stumbled over a piece of rubble knocked loose by an earlier bomb and went down hard.

"HARRY!" Alyssa cried, skidding to a halt and running back for him, right back into the path of the bus that she had been set to escape. Now it was going to squash both of them.

As the massive shape of red metal and shattered windows fell towards them, Harry's life flashed before his eyes: the misery of Privet Drive, the joy of Hogwarts, the triumphs and terrors of his clashes with Voldemort and his proxies... None of that would matter in just a few seconds…

Harry's instincts, however, refused to accept this outcome._ "Wingardium Leviosa!" _he screamed, his wand rising to move in the swish and flick Professor Flitwick had taught him all those years ago. The bus was far more massive than the club the troll had wielded, but Harry was nearly three years older and more experienced. His and Alyssa's lives depended on him: he could _do this!_

The bus's fall was instantly arrested, hovering a scant meter from the top of Alyssa's head. Clambering to his feet, Harry kept his wand on it as he hurried towards cover, pulling Alyssa along with him as she stared blankly at the hovering bus. As the pair reached the safety of the stairs, Harry finally let the bus fall with an almighty crash, causing the two to instinctively duck their heads.

When the noise faded, Harry finally looked over at Alyssa. "You okay?" he asked.

Alyssa stared blankly at him for a long few seconds. "You're a wizard?" she asked.

With a sigh, Harry nodded. "Yeah," bracing himself for what he was sure was about to happen.

"That's _amazing!_"

Harry blinked: that hadn't been what he'd expected. "Huh?"

The girl's eyes flashed with admiration as she gestured at the bus. "That thing's huge! It would have crushed us both but you lifted it up like it was nothing! My grandfather used to tell me stories about wizards fighting evil monsters and saving people. Well, they were usually girls, actually they were always girls, but it's the same idea!" She paused to catch her breath, her face flushed with excitement.

Harry slumped against the wall as his mind tried to process the fact that this Muggle girl seemed to like the fact that he was magical. His only real contact with the Muggle world was the Dursleys, and they hated everything about magic. "It's not as cool as it sounds," he muttered. "And I'm not that great; Hermione's way better than me."

Alyssa shook her head. "You saved me again, Harry," she said. "That means you _are _great." Harry felt his face heat up a bit, but thankfully Alyssa didn't continue this line of thought as she raised her head to peer around. "I think the Germans are gone."

"Germans?" Harry asked.

Alyssa nodded to the sky. "Those were German bombers: I remember them from history class; we were discussing the Second World War." She looked around again, her excitement fading into a pensive look. "This must be during the Blitz."

Harry grimaced: even if he had somehow been able to stay awake during the droning lectures of Professor Binns, he doubted the ghost would have discussed a Muggle event, so he was completely stumped. "So are they going to come back?" he asked, standing to look around himself.

"Probably not tonight," Alyssa said, standing up next to him. "But if we're still here tomorrow… wait, what's that?"

At first, Harry's eyes went back to the sky, worried that the Germans would in fact be returning, but a moment later he realized that Alyssa had heard something else: piano music drifting on the winds. "What?" he whispered.

"That's Chopin, the same music from Mum's room," Alyssa said. "But why would anyone be playing now?"

Harry didn't have an answer for that: he barely knew when they were, let alone what people would and wouldn't do. However, he did know that he and Alyssa needed to do something. "Whatever it is, it must be important," he said. "Maybe if we can find whoever's playing, they can help us get back." Alyssa nodded, and the pair carefully stepped out into the ruined street and started making their way in the direction of the music.

They had barely gone the length of a street before Alyssa stopped with a gasp. "Oh no," she whispered, pointing to the side of the road.

Harry flinched when he looked over to see the body of a man, horribly burnt and clearly dead, laying against a wall. He must have gotten hit by one of the bombs. For a moment, Harry wrestled with the desire to go see if there was anything he could do, even though he _knew _there wasn't. "Come on," he said finally. "There's nothing we can do for him."

"But…"

"Alyssa, there's nothing we can do," Harry said. "Even if he was alive, neither of us can heal him. We're not even supposed to be here, in this time." Alyssa frowned, but finally nodded, forcing herself to look as the pair started to pass the poor man by.

Before they could get far, however, a strange hissing noise caused them both to spin back. Rising from the body was a ghostly figure, though it didn't look like the man (Harry thought, with the burns he couldn't be sure.) The pale, glowing eyes stared at them as the specter hovered over its body.

"Harry…" Alyssa whispered.

"Maybe he'll know what's going on," Harry said, starting to step forward.

"But-"

"I've talked to ghosts before," Harry said. "I'll be fine." Raising his voice as he continued forward, he said "Sir? I'm sorry we couldn't help you, but-"

"My ring…"

Harry blinked at the strangely hissing nature of the ghost's words: most of the ghosts Harry had talked to sounded just like people. "Sir?" he asked, taking another step forward.

What happened next was too fast for even his instincts to track.

With a maddened cackling, the ghost lunged for Harry, wrapping its arms around him. Harry had "touched" ghosts before, and it always felt unpleasantly like dunking one's body into ice water. This, however, was even worse. This time, the icy water had frozen into millions of needles, piercing every inch of his flesh and permeating their cold throughout his body. He tried to struggle, to pull away, but he was so cold… like a dementor was right next to him… there was a spell… what…

"HARRY!"

An instant later, warmth blazed its way through Harry. Stumbling back, Harry watched as the specter shrieked and writhed in agony, blue fire blazing along its body. Before he could recover, Alyssa grabbed his arm and bodily dragged him back: she was surprisingly strong for such a slight girl. "Are you alright?!" she asked, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, somehow managing around the bottle still gripped in her right hand. Harry realized that the wetness along his side was splatter from the water she must have splashed onto the ghost to make it let him go.

"Yeah," he gasped despite the painful tingle that was still all over his body. "Thanks."

Alyssa looked relieved for a moment before her expression morphed into annoyance. "Mum's letter said that those things are dangerous," she said sharply. "You can't just go running up to everything!"

"Says the girl who tried to open the door with the clear magical ward on it?" Harry shot back. Alyssa flushed, but before she could respond she glanced over his shoulder and gasped.

"Run!" she cried, pulling Harry along again as she dashed back the way they came. Turning, Harry saw that the ghost was floating towards them, its arms outstretched like some sort of bodiless zombie. Thankfully, as soon as they got a dozen or so meters from it, it came to a halt before slowly drifting back to its corpse.

The pair stood, panting, for a few seconds before Alyssa pulled the letter out of her pocket and stared at it. "The ring it mentioned…" she muttered. "That must be sentimental item Mum was talking about."

"The what?"

"I'm not quite sure," Alyssa said, scanning the letter some more. "But Mum said that I'd be able to help spirits like him pass on if I can bring their sentimental item back to them." She looked around for a few seconds before pointing. "There, that crater's probably where he was hit: if he was carrying the ring it must be near there." Harry nodded; he supposed that made sense.

As the pair approached the crater, the ghost turned to glare balefully at them, but it did not approach. Keeping one eye on it, Harry began looking around the crater. Thankfully, it only took a few seconds to notice a glint. Laying several meters away was a broken ring-box, and laying on the ground next to it was what looked like a wedding ring. "I think this is it," Harry said, picking up the ring and holding it out, though his gaze never left the ghost.

"Great job, Harry," Alyssa said, tenderly taking it. "Now stand back; I don't know what's going to happen next."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Didn't the letter tell you what to do?" he asked.

"Not in so many words, but I just have to give this back, right?" Without waiting for an answer, Alyssa started forwards, though her steps were more timid than her tone, and she kept her water bottle at the ready. Pulling out his wand again, Harry hoped that he wouldn't need it: he wasn't sure if any spell he had could affect a ghost.

As Alyssa approached the spirit, for a moment he thought it was going to try and attack her: its arms started to rise as it turned to fully face her. However, the instant its eyes fell on the ring, it froze in place.

Alyssa, meanwhile, continued forward, her stride smoothing even as she kept her pace slow. Almost tenderly, she held out the ring in the palms of her hands, her bottle slipping to hang over her wrist.

"I have found what has been lost," she whispered. The ghost nodded, its eyes never leaving the ring. "Now, I return it to you, so that you may pass on in peace." Harry watched as all traces of fear vanished from the girl's stance: she reached out to place the ring into the heart of the ghost, which made no effort to grab her. Then, lifting her bottle, she splashed a fine mist of glowing water onto the ghost.

This time, there was no blue fire, not screams of pain. Instead, a gentle light began to extend over the ghost; starting from the ring still hovering where its heart would have been. Slowly, the light grew brighter and brighter, though somehow it never seemed blinding. Alyssa stood stock-still, gazing at the spirit as its form began to waver before it finally vanished as if it had never been.

"Wow…" Harry couldn't help but whisper. He'd seen some amazing things since becoming a wizard, but nothing save for Fawkes's song or the corporeal Patronus he'd conjured to save himself and Sirius had seemed so… pure as this act. Making his way forward, he waited for Alyssa to acknowledge him, but she seemed entranced by the space where the ghost had been.

"Oi," he said after a few awkward seconds. Alyssa squeaked as she spun, and Harry very nearly had to dodge a spray of water before she controlled herself. "You sure you don't know what you're doing?"

Slowly, the girl shook her head. "No, no I had no idea…" she said. "It just… it just seemed natural, like I'd always known…" she shook her head again, this time more forcefully. "Sorry, you must think I'm mad…"

"Nah," Harry said, thinking back to the first time he'd ridden a broom. "Some things are just like that. Besides, it sure helped."

"Yeah," Alyssa said. The pair stood in silence for a moment longer before she sighed. "I guess we should keep looking for the source of the music, it seems to be coming from that way." Harry nodded, and they turned to walk down the path again. However, before they'd gotten more than a step, a soft tinkling noise was heard. Glancing down, Harry saw a beautiful gemstone, a swirl of purple and pink, glinting a few steps away. He or Alyssa must have kicked it, and from where they were standing it must have been dropped by the ghost.

Moving forward, Harry gingerly poked it with his wand. "What's this?" he asked.

"I don't know, Harry," Alyssa said, crouching down next to him. "But… it seems safe. If the ghost dropped it after I purified him, it must be some sort of thank-you gift." Before Harry could say anything else, she plucked it off the ground and tucked it into a pocket. "I'm sure it'll come in handy." Deciding it must be another one of her instincts, Harry didn't comment, simply following as she continued on their way.

* * *

Despite the confidence she was trying to project for Harry, Alyssa was still worried. Not only were she and Harry still having to jump over holes and debris from the bombing run, she was painfully aware that she had precious little holy water left. Her mother's letter had said that she'd be able to purify any clean water to refill it, but the only water she'd seen was a muddy puddle filling up a bomb crater, which didn't seem particularly clean.

Besides… she was starting to realize there were still no people. Surely, after the Germans had passed, someone would start coming out from underground to try and contain the damage? Clean up the rubble? So where was everyone? Plus, the music was still as audible as ever, its volume neither rising nor falling despite the fact that they must have walked six blocks.

What was going _on?!_

"Look," Harry said as the pair stepped out onto a bridge. "What's that?"

Peering off the bridge, Alyssa saw what Harry had noticed: a grand building that somehow seemed to stand out from the rest of the city. "It looks like some sort of opera house," she said after a moment. "Why?"

"Is it just me, or does the music seem to be coming from there?"

Alyssa listened in silence for a few seconds before slowly nodding. "I think it does," she said. "But… but how can we hear it that far away?" While the building wasn't_ too _far, the distance still should still have made any music from within all but inaudible.

"How can we hear it fifty years in the future?" Harry quipped. "Magic. Don't ask me what _kind _of magic, but magic." He sighed. "Well, at least we have somewhere to go." He glanced down at the path running under the bridge with a grimace "If we can find it."

"We'll be fine," Alyssa said. "Come on, let's head down this way…"

It may have taken them a while, but the wandering wasn't completely fruitless. On one of the dead-end paths, Alyssa spotted a functioning fountain; on that thankfully seemed clean enough for her Sacred Bottle to work with. Carefully pouring a handful of the fountain water in, she watched as it slowly morphed into the pure, shining glow of Holy Water. "Great," Harry said as Alyssa quickly filled the bottle to the brim. "I think I hear running water, and the path below the bridge ran next to some sort of stream thing. Let's go this way."

After a few more minutes of wrong turns and dead ends, the pair finally found the path they'd seen, which led towards the opera house. However, before they could get too far, they ran into yet _another _problem.

"Ghost," Harry said, pulling Alyssa back as she was about to turn a corner. "Looks like it's patrolling the waterway,"

The pair watched the ghost hover back and forward, its keening moans barely audible over the music. Between the playing, however, they picked up the words "My letter… my letter…" repeated over and over.

"Good luck finding a letter in all this," Harry muttered, gesturing around.

"But we have to try, Harry," Alyssa chided. "That poor person… they're stuck here unless we help them!"

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I know," he said. "Do you think it'll be close?"

"The ring was, but that was right near where the man died," Alyssa said, peering around. "I don't see anything…"

Slowly, Harry stepped out. "It seems interested in the waterway; maybe if you can get over there, you'll see something. I'll get its attention."

"Harry! Wait, that's dangerous!"

The boy's grin was a touch cocky as he continued towards the ghost. "Don't worry, I've been running away from things bigger than me since I was four." Without explaining that alarming comment, he broke into a jog. "Hey, ghost!"

The spirit spun in the air and let out an indignant shriek as Harry darted by. Raising its arms, it lunged after him, but the boy was too fast, weaving back and forwards as he stayed just close enough to keep its attention without falling into its grasp.

Huffing, Alyssa hurried over to the edge of the waterway, looking quickly around. Finally, she spotted a dirty white blotch plastered against the side of a small footbridge. As she approached, she noticed something at the bottom of the waterway…

It was a body; a woman's body, caught against the support of the same bridge. She must have been trying to get the letter, only to fall in and drown. Grimacing, Alyssa carefully pressed herself against the wall, edging along the tiny lip far enough to grab the letter. It was completely illegible, but she hoped that it would still be good enough for the ghost.

Hurrying back up, she watched as Harry continued to dance with the spirt. Since it never went faster than a quick walk, the boy was easily able to keep out of its reach, continuing to taunt and tease it before pulling away. Allowing herself a small roll of her eyes, Alyssa hurried over. As she got within a few meters of the ghost, it froze in place, its glowing eyes becoming locked on the wet paper in her hands.

Again, an indescribable sense of calm knowing settled over Alyssa as she stepped forward. "I have found what has been lost," she said. "Now, I return it to you, so that you may pass on in peace." Gently placing the letter into the heart of the ghost, she stepped back and sprinkled some Holy Water onto it, watching it fade from sight, dropping another of those stones as it did.

"That was fun," Harry said, not even breathing hard. "Looks like the ghost sticks near its sentimental item, so if we see any more, I'll keep them busy while you find it."

"That sounds good," Alyssa said, picking up the stone and feeling its warmth against her hand. "Here, take this." Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't complain as he took the stone and put it in one of his own pockets. "We're almost there." The pair continued on, stepping back out onto a main street running parallel to the river, and it seemed like they would have a straight shot to the opera house.

Then, of course, Alyssa's curiosity got the better of her.

"Isn't that another of those sigils?" she asked, pointing towards a seemingly random building along the path. The only other thing that distinguished it from the other buildings was the fancy sign declaring "Norton's Tailor" and a few suits visible on display in the window.

Harry glanced over before nodding. "Yeah, it is," he said. "But we should focus on finding out where the music's coming from."

"But we know that that man has something to do with those," Alyssa argued. "We need to check this out!"

The pair stared at each other for a long second before Harry let out a strange half-chuckle, half-sigh. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" Alyssa shook her head, and Harry sighed for real. "Alright," he said. "Splitting up would be a bad idea, so I guess I'm right behind you." Smiling gratefully, Alyssa led the way to the tailor's door, splashing some of her Holy Water on the sigil as she did. After a moment, it shattered like the one on Mum's door, allowing the pair to enter the building.

The store floor they entered seemed cozy enough at first glance. A tabletop Christmas tree was perched upon a counter, a few tiny ornaments glinting bravely. There were various suits hung on racks around the room, though Alyssa got the feeling they were a bit old, even for the time. However, it only took a moment to notice the signs of disturbance: the shattered glass on a display case, the chairs thrown away from a table, books scattered on the floor…

"Well this is nice," Harry said, looking around. "So what are we looking for again?"

Huffing, Alyssa carefully went down the front steps and started looking around. "Anything out of place," she said.

"You mean aside from the ransacking?"

"Yes, aside from the ransacking. We know that we came here from the future; maybe that man did too. Or maybe Mum's here. If they are, they might have left something that would be a clue." She looked around. "I wonder if this was him?"

"I doubt it," Harry said, poking around the room himself. "He seemed to be the kind of guy who has bigger plans than just stealing some jewels in a clothing store." The wizard paused for a moment before heading upstairs towards a sort of balcony hallway, carefully dodging some more broken glass as he did. "The only thing we know for sure he wants is you."

Alyssa flinched. "Did you have to remind me?" she asked, trying a door at the back of the shop area. It was locked. "Find anything up there?"

"Does another sigil count?" Harry called.

"Yes!" Alyssa cried, abandoning the door and dashing upstairs, nearly tripping in her haste to find Harry. He had his wand on the door, and was muttering words under his breath. However, after a few attempts, he backed away with a snort. "Well, I tried every unlocking and breaking spell I know and that thing isn't budging. Guess it's up to you, Alyssa."

"Yes, of course," Alyssa said, carefully splashing some of her precious Holy Water on the sigil, which glowed and shattered like the others. However, as she started to reach for the door, she hesitated. "This must lead to the residence," she said. "A lot of old business had the owner living in their store buildings. We really shouldn't…"

Harry rolled his eyes. "We're already here," he said. "Besides, if there was anyone back there, they'd probably be so grateful we let them out that they wouldn't worry too much about us breaking in, but if it makes you feel better…" He raised a hand and firmly knocked. After a few seconds of silence, he tried the door, which opened easily despite the obvious lock. "After you."

"Such a gentleman," Alyssa said, smiling despite herself as she stepped past him through the door. "I'm sure we're on… the…"

Along the hall were two doors, but what had caught Alyssa's eye was the ugly, red-brown stain on the wall across from the one closer to the stairs… a stain that was uncomfortably large. Forcing herself to move forward, Alyssa paused at the top of the stairs, seeing more stains on the way down, the carpet both soiled and pushed to one side as if somebody had fallen down the stairs…

"It looks old," Harry murmured from behind her, studying the stain. "Dried. Whatever caused this, it probably happened a few days ago." Turning, Alyssa saw him frown. "There does seem to be a lot of it…" Shaking his head, he glanced at the door. "May's Room," he read off small sign.

"Perhaps the tailor's daughter?" Alyssa said. She wanted to take a look inside, maybe there was a clue, or someone who was hurt and needed help, but she was scared that she'd find something worse. "We should go downstairs: there might be more clues there."

"Right," Harry said, raising his wand slightly. "I'll go first." For once, Alyssa didn't feel like arguing, and let her friend carefully make his way down the stairs, gripping her bottle tightly as she followed.

The room a work area. Several manikins stood around a long table, piled with fabrics and tools. None of it looked like it had been touched for some time, save for the signs that something unpleasant had happened here as well: a few chairs knocked over, more books on the floor… though thankfully there was no more blood. There were two doors, one that seemed to lead back to the store floor and the other leading deeper into the building. However, that door had a pulsing black sigil inscribed upon it.

"I wonder why that one's black," Harry murmured as the pair stared at the sigil. "Do you think your water can get through?"

Alyssa's instincts said no, but she decided to give it a try: she had enough for some experiments. Carefully, she splashed a helping of water on the sigil, only for it to flare with dark magic and splatter the water back in their faces. Almost as it was mocking their efforts.

"There must be something in here that will help us," Alyssa said, rubbing the water out of her eyes before looking around. "Some way of breaking the seal…" Because somehow, she knew that the sigil _could _be broken, just that she needed… something. Something meaningful, something that belonged…

"There's a newspaper," Harry said, pointing to the desk. "That'll tell us when we are at any rate." He shook his head. "Bloody time travel…" Alyssa didn't bother chiding him for his language, she was too busy hurrying over to read the paper. For some reason, her gaze was drawn to an article at the bottom of the open page beside the smiling picture of a cute girl.

_CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY: YOUNG PIANIST BRUTALLY MUREDERED_

_ Christmas day, 1942: Pall Mall._

_ May Norton, aged 12, was found murdered in Norton's Tailor. She was discovered by the Norton family nanny Jane Stride, who returned home to find the victim bleeding from the head. An autopsy has revealed that it was an instantaneous death, caused by a blow to the skull with a heavy, blunt object. No suspects have been named. The victim had taken part in the 15__th__ Annual Piano Concours at the Victory Hall in Kensington the previous day. A consummate pianist, Miss Norton was widely tipped for first prize, but an unfortunate error in her performance prevented her from taking the crown. May has been living at home alone since her father, William Norton returned to the front in July. Officials are asking that anyone with information related to Miss Norton's death come forward._

"Harry?" Alyssa called softly, knowing that her face had gone completely white. The boy turned from the mantle he'd been looking at and hurried over. "This article…"

He scanned it quickly, and she saw him pale as well. "May Norton…" he said, turning slowly to look at the blood still visible at the top of the stairs. "This is Norton's Tailor… May's name was on that door…"

"This must be the scene of the crime," Alyssa whispered. "Oh, that poor girl… Who could have done that? Why? She was only twelve!"

"And a pianist," Harry said. "She played before she died… and we're following the sound of piano music towards a big concert hall… I think it might be connected."

Alyssa started to remind him that May was dead and had been for days (or years from their perspective), when her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill scream from upstairs.

Neither Harry nor Alyssa hesitated, they both dashed for the stairs. This actually slowed them as they got tangled up at the bottom, trying to figure out who would go first as the screaming continued, overshadowed by cruel, deep laughter. By the time they sorted themselves out and Harry started leading the way up, it was too late.

A final screech of mindless terror was cut short by an ugly, wet _crunching _noise, and just as Harry reached the turn in the stairs the door to May's room burst open, expelling the brutalized body of a girl that Alyssa recognized from the picture beside the news story, even through the horrific injury she had sustained. Blood was gushing from her shattered skull, and Alyssa could faintly see what could only be brain matter as she fought the urge to be sick. May's body hit the wall across from her room, splattering another coat of blood onto the stain, before falling limply down the stairs, disturbing the carpet as she went and leaving bloodstains perfectly as she went. As she came to a halt at their feet, Alyssa could see one arm was clearly shattered, and her remaining expression was locked in a look of utter horror.

"But… but… but…" Alyssa whimpered. 'The paper's right over there! This happened days ago! How…'

"Look out!" Harry called, grabbing Alyssa and pulling her back down the stairs. Her attention came back to the situation in time to see the man come out of May's room.

Though really, _beast _was more appropriate. A massive titan, broad of shoulder and tall save for the way he hunched like an ape, his body was covered in the dark, dirty cloths of a poor laborer. His face was completely hidden by a leather hood/mask, but Alyssa could see his bared, black-yellow teeth and his mad, glowing eyes. As he turned to stare down at the pair, he hefted the massive sledgehammer in his hands, the head of which was stained with fresh blood. There was no doubt as to what the blunt object was that had ended May's life. Every muscle in Alyssa's body was screaming at her to run, to hide, to get away from him right now before he did the same to her!

"I killed her," the monster growled gleefully, his voice raised over Alyssa's unconscious cry of fear. "And you're next!" As the man leapt down the stairs, he spoke again.

"**You're mine now, Alyssa!**"

_AN: As you may notice, I'm making some changes other than those caused by Harry's presence in the story. My first interaction with Clock Tower 3 was TheDarkId's let's play of it, and he took great care to point out the game's more… questionable decisions. I still think it's a cool game, but I'm not above making some modifications to make things make more sense._


	3. The Musical Hunt

AN: None of this is mine.

Chapter 3: The Musical Hunt

As the man barreled down the stairs towards Alyssa, she found her feet rooted to the floor. Like a deer caught in the headlights of an onrushing truck, with just as much chance of surviving the inevitable crash. The hammer was swinging up, ready to come down on her delicate skull, and all she could do was wish she'd gotten to see her mother one last time…

"_**Expelliarmus**_**!**"

A jet of orange-red light flashed out from Harry's raised wand to slam into the monster's chest, causing him to stumbled back a step, blinking in surprise. Then, however, his smirk grew.

"Ah, a little wizard," he growled, steadying himself. "Your feeble magic tricks are no use against me!" Then he started advancing again, though this time at a leisurely walk. "Come on, little boy, _hit me with your best shot!_"

"_Expelliarmus!_" Harry cried again. "_Flipendo!_ _Tarantellegra!_" Blast after blast of light shot out from Harry's wand, but now that the man was ready Harry might as well have been throwing wadded paper at him. The beast laughed again, reveling in Harry's powerlessness.

His defiance, however, emboldened Alyssa. After all, while she wasn't a wizard, she did have some power of her own. Grabbing her bottle, she pulled the lever and splashed it all over the man. The result was instantaneous. Blue fire burned around him, causing him to shriek in pain as he tried to both put himself out and keep hold of his hammer at the same time.

Harry raised his wand again. "_Expelliarmus!_" he shouted. This time the light seemed to have its full effect, ripping the hammer from the man's grip and sending it flying towards them even as it threw the man backwards into the stairs, breaking at least one.

Of course, that just meant the hammer was going to hit them, since it was far too heavy for either of them to catch. Yelping, Alyssa threw herself to one side as Harry dodge the other way, allowing the hammer to pass between them and embed itself in the wall behind them.

"Didn't think that through," Harry muttered as he looked around before pointing to the other door on the ground floor. "Come on, let's go!"

"It's locked!" Alyssa wailed as she watched the blue fire burn lower and lower, the man's agonized cries fading.

"I can handle that!" Harry yelled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along after him. "_Alohamora!_" he cried, and the door burst open. "Come on, let's go!"

"Don't run, Alyssa!" the man roared, patting out the last of the flames before stomping over to his hammer.

"I don't talk to strangers!" Alyssa cried, allowing Harry to pull her through the door. A moment later, he jabbed his wand at the door and hissed another command, causing it to slam shut and lock with a weird squelching noise. "That won't hold him for long!" she warned.

"Then we should get going!" Harry shot back, pointing to the front door. "We need open ground! Come on!" Alyssa nodded, and the pair dashed that way just as the first hammer blow smashed against the door they'd come through.

"ALYSSA!"

Alyssa forced her fear down as the pair crashed through the doors. "Come on, this way," she cried, pointing back the way they'd come. "We can lose him in the streets!" Harry nodded, and the two sprinted off, though Alyssa got the feeling that Harry was holding back so that she could keep up.

Behind them, there was another crash as the man burst out of the tailor, his angry roars echoing over the omnipresent music. However, a moment later the pair turned down another street.

Harry then grabbed her wrist. "Down here!" he hissed, vaulting over the railing of the canal that the second ghost they'd met had drowned in. "He'll expect us to keep running, let's give him the slip!"

Alyssa wasn't sure that was a good idea, but she liked the idea of splitting off from Harry even less, so she clambered over the railing after him. "Here!" she said, pointing to an alcove she noticed off to the side.

"Good idea," Harry said, ducking in and pressing himself back enough for Alyssa to cram in after him. It wasn't really big enough for two, so the pair were pressed uncomfortably close together, but even if she hadn't been too scared to care she'd have realized it was better to endure bit of embarrassment at all but hugging a boy she'd just met an hour ago than be squished like a bug under that hammer

Next to her, Harry unwound one arm and pointed his wand. "_Wingardium Leviosa_," he whispered. Alyssa started to open her mouth to ask what he was doing, but the sound of massive boot steps on the path overhead silenced her.

"Alyssa, where are you?" the man called mockingly. A moment later, she heard an exaggerated sniffing noise, and she suddenly remembered the touch of lavender she'd put on this morning. Wouldn't it be ironic if her vanity was what killed her in the end?

Harry lowered his wand, and a moment later Alyssa realized what he'd done: a piece of rubble on the bridge down the canal, barely visible, clattered to the ground as if it had been just knocked loose.

"I hear you, Alyssa!" the man called, and the sound of boots accelerated. Harry and Alyssa pressed themselves as far back as they could, but still they saw the man, his hammer clutched in front of him, making his way across the bridge with a strange waddling run that was still horrifyingly fast. Alyssa had never been an outdoorsy girl; the extent of her sports skills was being decent at archery, so she didn't think she'd be able to outrun him.

Thankfully, he didn't look back, continuing on until he was out of sight. Alyssa let out the breath she'd been holding. "Thank you," she whispered, still not daring to raise her voice too much for fear the man would come back.

"Don't mention it," Harry said. "Come on, let's go before he figures out we tricked him."

The pair untangled themselves and stepped out of the alcove. Since the stairs out of the canal path were in the direction the man had gone, neither of them were eager to take them. Instead, Harry jumped up, grabbing onto the railing to pull himself up and over, and then reached down to help Alyssa follow him, allowing them to hurry back the way they'd come.

"You were right," Alyssa said as they passed the tailor. "We should have just kept going to the concert hall."

Harry shrugged. "We did find out some useful information," he said. "I still think this is all connected." A moment later, though, he glanced at her with a strange grin. "But I gotta ask, what was that back there? 'I don't talk to strangers?' Really?"

Alyssa flushed. "Shut up," she muttered. "I was scared."

"Sure, but you have to admit that's not exactly the best comeback."

"Well I didn't hear any good ideas out of _you,_" she shot back, taking some pleasure in the way Harry's grin faded. "Now we should hurry, before that… _man_ comes back."

The pair went on in silence for a few minutes, their ears perked for any sign of boot steps or taunting calls, before Harry spoke again. "I'm going to assume you have no idea how he knows your name?"

"No, I don't," Alyssa said. "Do you think… that he might be working with that man? From my house?"

Harry nodded slowly. "It makes sense," he murmured. "Two people who you've never met before but are creepily interested in you within an hour of each other? That's a bit much to be a coincidence."

"You seem unusually calm about all this," Alyssa said. "Aren't you worried that you'll get hurt?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "But this isn't my first time going into mortal peril." He chuckled wryly. "Actually, now that I think about it, it's kinda the story of my life."

Alyssa nearly walked into a wall as she stared at her new friend in shock. 'Not his _first time!?_' she thought. 'Story of his _life?!_' "What have you been _doing?!_" she hissed. He was _younger _than her! Same age at most! She couldn't have misjudged that badly, could she? Why was a fourteen-year-old risking himself _repeatedly?!_

"That is a very long story," Harry said. "One that we should probably wait to talk about." He jerked his head. "Besides, we're here."

Looking up, Alyssa realized that the pair had just passed through the gate into the grounds of the opera hall. Unlike the rest of the city, which still bore the scars of the recent German bombing, this place was pristine; a fountain gurgling happily in the middle, flowers growing in neat beds. Even the grass was perfectly trimmed. If she didn't know better, Alyssa would have thought that she was on some sort of cultural appreciation field trip, not stuck in the past with a hammer-wielding madman out to murder her personally.

"Come on," she said. "If we can find the music player, we can find some answers." She found herself taking the lead, marching up the steps to the front doors. She was about to open them when they moved on their own, creaking open almost menacingly.

"Suddenly I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Harry muttered from behind her, raising his wand again.

"But it's the only chance we have." Alyssa said.

"Yeah."

The pair stared at each other for a moment before Harry jerked his head to the fountain. "That water looks pretty clean; you should refill the bottle: who knows what we're going to find in there." Alyssa nodded, hurrying back to the fountain and dipping her bottle in. A few seconds later, the water within began to faintly glow as whatever magic was on the bottle purified it into Holy Water, once again arming her against whatever threats might be waiting within.

Once she was standing next to Harry again, the pair nodded to each other determinedly and stepped through the doors together.

It was a good thing they did, as the moment they were over the threshold, the doors slammed behind them. Turning, the pair watched as a dark mist formed over the door, slowly solidifying into another of those black sigils.

"Well, not getting out that way," Harry muttered.

"I know," Alyssa said. "But on the bright side, at least we're where we need to go. It sounds like the music's coming from back there." The pair hurried around the curving hall until they found a massive pair of double doors, held shut by a glowing blue sigil. "On three?" Alyssa said.

"Got it," Harry responded, reading his wand.

"Alright. One… two… three!" she splashed her water on the sigil, causing it to shatter, and Harry hissed his unlocking spell again, causing the doors to creak open as the two retreated a few steps, just in case there was some threat behind the door.

Nothing happened.

Creeping forward, Alyssa peered through the door to see that everything was dark; the seating, the stage, everything was merely abandoned shadows, barely discernable by the faint rays from the hallway. Even the music had faded. Glancing over at Harry, she cocked her head in a silent question.

He nodded, muttering "_Lumos_," under his breath as he did. The end of his wand lit up, allowing the pair to see further as he led the way into the room, Alyssa following after him with bottle readied.

The pair were halfway to the stage, just barely able to see the shape of a piano in the center, when the overhead spotlights turned on, bathing the stage in light, centered on the grand piano.

"Hello?" Alyssa called softly, looking up into the rafters to see who might have turned on the lights, praying that it wasn't the crazy hammer man. There was no answer save for her own echoes, and while she thought she saw… something, up there, with all the glare she couldn't make out any details.

Harry, meanwhile, had climbed onto the stage to study the piano. As he stepped around it, he recoiled with a hiss. "Alyssa!" he called. Spinning, Alyssa hurried up to join him, only to jump back herself when she saw the blood splattered all over the beautiful ivory keys.

"Is there any place here someone _hasn't _died horribly?" she whined, looking around.

"I don't know, Alyssa…" Harry said, turning himself.

As if on cue, the moment both of their backs were turned, the music started again. With a short cry, Alyssa nearly jumped off the stage as she spun around, only to scream louder when she realized what had changed.

May Norton was now sitting at the piano, her fingers moving smoothly over the keys despite the fact that she looked exactly the same as she had after the hammer had killed her: one arm horrifically bent and broken, half her face caved in, blood everywhere… and still she was playing better than Alyssa could have if she'd had a hundred years to practice. It was… enchanting, flawless, and for a second Alyssa started to feel better, almost forgetting what was about to happen.

Then May hit the wrong note.

It was a tiny thing, barely noticeable, but since Alyssa had been listening to this very same section of music ever since she'd arrived in this time, she knew it was coming. May certainly heard it, as she paused for a long second, staring at the keys in front of her. Then, her remaining eye welled up with tears, and she started to cry, hunching over the piano as if she'd just watched her beloved pet die in front of her.

"Hey…" Harry whispered, starting forward. "Hey…"

"I…" May whispered miserably. "I can't… I have to play it perfect… Daddy…" She forced herself up, tears still pouring from her good eye, and started again.

"Why do you have to play it perfectly, May?" Alyssa asked.

"Daddy… Daddy's watch… I need to hear Daddy's watch…" May whimpered.

"Where is it, May?" Alyssa pressed. "Tell me where your father's watch is, and I'll go get-"

** "HA!"**

Harry grabbed Alyssa's arm and pulled her off to the side just as the hammer killer slammed to the stage, his weapon smashing through the thick wood. May leapt to her feet, shrieking as she stumbled and ran back towards the curtain, only to phase through it. Right, she was a ghost. Like Alyssa would be if she didn't focus!

* * *

Harry, meanwhile, was keeping his eyes and wand on the hammer nutter as he pulled his weapon out, his glowing eyes piercing the pair. "You tricked me before," he growled, "but now you're trapped here! This place will be your _tomb!_"

"Who are you?" Harry hissed, playing for time as his thoughts raced. Alyssa's water would allow them to stun the man, but he should figure out some other way to stop the threat; if they were indeed stuck in this hall, then she might not be able to refill her bottle, which would be bad.

"I am Sledgehammer," the man growled. Harry stopped himself from rolling his eyes: clearly creativity was _not _this one's strong point. "I am the ruler of this place!"

"Why did you kill her?" Alyssa asked, backing another few steps. "Why do you want to kill me?"

The monster chuckled. "Sweet little May's agony has sustained me all these years," he said. "Her humiliation, her torment, her death, all of it feeds me. I keep her here, trapped in an endless loop of pain, so that she may never escape, so that I may never die_." _He stepped forward, ignoring Harry completely. "And you, Alyssa, your death will be all the sweeter. Your Rooder soul will fuel me for eons to come!"

Rooder? What the bloody hell was this guy talking about? Alyssa didn't seem to have any more idea, as she started opening her mouth, only to yelp as the man rushed forward like a troll, his hammer swinging.

Harry dodged back neatly, but Alyssa stumbled and fell, the hammer whooshing over her head. Thankfully, the man had swung too hard, nearly overbalancing as he struggled to bring the weapon back under control.

Harry saw his chance. "_Locomotor!_" he hissed, focusing everything he had on the bench May had been sitting at behind the piano. Normally, this spell would only move an object slowly, but as Harry threw every ounce of fear and anger into his magic as he could, the makeshift missile shot out to strike the unprepared man in the back.

Whatever protection he had from Harry's magic, it seemed to be ineffective against a physical object. With a cry, the man toppled off the high stage, falling headfirst to the floor with a _crunch. _

"Come on, Harry, this way," Alyssa said, clambering to her feet and grabbing his hand to pull him back the way May went. Having never been in a building like this, Harry assumed that Alyssa would know how best to escape, so he followed after her. Behind the curtain, they found a door that Alyssa threw herself at. "Locked! Harry!"

"_Alohamora,_" Harry said, and the door clicked open. "Where does this go?" he hissed as they piled in.

"Backstage," Alyssa said, re-locking the door before darting further into the room. "Come on, this way before he gets up! Those are probably just changing rooms!" The pair hurried past most of the doors to the other end, bursting through into another hall. Down to the left, there was a door with a sigil on it.

"Break that, quick," Harry said. "Then we'll go this way, it'll buy us some time." Alyssa nodded, dashing towards the door. Harry turned back to the one they'd come through and muttered "_Colloportus,_" just as he heard the door back to the stage smash open. They didn't have much time.

"Done," Alyssa said as she ran back, and Harry found himself blessing the thick carpet that masked her footsteps.

"Come on," Harry hissed, leading the way as quickly and quietly as he could towards the corner. However, before they got all the way there, he heard the first hammer blow on his locked door, and he knew his Locking Charm would not be strong enough to withstand much more. 'Where's Hermione when you need her?!' he thought as he grabbed Alyssa's arm and dragged her behind a bench set along the wall: it wasn't much, but maybe it would be enough.

A second later, the door slammed open, allowing Sledgehammer to storm out. Peering under the bench, Harry saw the man begin to hurry in the direction of the broken sigil.

Then he paused.

Harry held his breath as Sledgehammer's torso twisted, not daring to peek up to see his face. A moment later, the sound of his disturbing sniffing filled the corridor as his feet turned. turned to look around the hall, sniffing again in that disturbing manner. Squished together as they were, Harry could feel Alyssa's rapid, shallow breaths against his neck, swore he could hear her heart beating so rapidly he was surprised it didn't burst out. He tried to ignore the strange, warm feeling in his chest, focusing on staying quiet as Sledgehammer paced a few steps back. "Easy," Harry whispered in Alyssa's ear as she moaned faintly. "Easy, he's not sure…"

** "ALYSSA!"**

"Bloody hell," Harry muttered: the bench had just been too small. "Spray him!" he cried as he leapt to his feet, casting a few minor jinxes at Sledgehammer's eyes to try and blind him for just a few seconds…

Then Alyssa stood, her fear fading in the face of action, and splashed a helping of water onto the man, who again began to shriek in pain as he burned.

"Get that locker!" Harry shouted as he waved his wand. "_Expelliarmus!_" After dodging the flying hammer, he continued. "_Petrificus Totalis!_"

Alyssa, bless her, didn't question, she just acted. "Got it!" she cried as she threw the locker open.

"Great! _Flipendo!_"

With a pained grunt, Sledgehammer, still burning and petrified by the Full Body Bind, was thrown into the locker, the flimsy shelves bending and breaking to accommodate his bulk. However, that did not stop Alyssa from slamming it shut with a triumphant cry. "_Colloportus!_" Harry finished with a flourish, sealing the man in the locker.

For a second, the two just stared at each other: they'd tricked and stunned the man before, but this was the first time they'd unquestionably _beat _him. However, a moment later, Alyssa's face fell. "That probably won't hold him for long," she said, "Not after the water fades."

"It'll be longer than if we'd just splashed and ran," Harry said. "Come on, let's go!" The pair hurried through the door that Alyssa had unsealed, which lead to a flight of stairs. Dashing up, they found themselves in another, identical corridor, though this one had no sigil.

"Those doors must lead to the upper galleries," Alyssa said. "Maybe we can find May!"

Harry listened for a moment as he locked the door behind them before shaking his head. "No, I think she's back at her piano. Listen." Indeed, the piano was once again playing its endless loop: beautiful music brought to a screeching halt, then repeated.

"Right," Alyssa said, sounding disappointed. "Come on, this way, I have an idea." Harry didn't bother asking, wanting to get as far away from the crazy man as he could, so he simply followed as she led the way, muttering to herself as she stared at the various doors they passed. Finally, she stopped.

"Lock this one."

"Why?"

"This is one of the galleries: it'll have a lot of hiding places in the aisles, so he won't be surprised that we tried to go in there, and it'll waste a lot of time. Then, we go somewhere else."

Harry nodded, that all sounded reasonable. "_Collportus,_" he muttered, sealing the door.

Alyssa, meanwhile, had gone a few doors down and peeked in. "Storage space," she said. "Come on," A minute later, the pair were tucked in the back of a large walk-in closet with plenty of fancy dresses and suits to block Sledgehammer's vision if he peeked in, listening warily for any sound of their pursuer and taking a much appreciated breather after all the running and spellcasting they'd been doing.

"What do we do now?" Harry whispered after they'd had a few moments to rest.

"We have to get out of here," Alyssa said, her voice strangely faint. "We have to get home…"

Harry shook his head. "But how do we do that? It seems to me that we're stuck here until we do something; do you have any idea what that might be?"

Alyssa shook her head. "No," she said, hugging her legs and putting her face on her knees. "Harry, I'm so sorry."

Harry blinked. "Alyssa…"

"I got you into this mess," she said. "You won't be here if I hadn't been so stupid as to come home when Mum told me to hide." Harry felt his face pale as he realized Alyssa's shoulders were shaking. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

"Hey…" Harry said weakly. "It's okay…"

"How can you say that?!" Alyssa snapped, raising her wet eyes to glare weakly at Harry. "We could both die here, and nobody would ever know what happened to us!"

"Maybe we will," Harry said. "But we've shown we can stop that nutter in his tracks, and for all we know that hammer may be the source of his power and he might still be stuck in that locker." Gingerly, Harry reached out and put a hand on Alyssa's shoulder. "And even if we do die… it's not your fault." Alyssa started to open her mouth, but Harry pressed on. "You didn't ask that man at the house to go after you or your mum; you didn't ask Sledgehammer to kill May or come after us. You've _done nothing wrong!"_

"But-"

"No. You've done nothing wrong. I chose to come of my own free will, and together we _will _get out of this: this isn't my first mad stunt, and you've got the brains and instincts and magic water to get us through this. So don't let the madmen get to you; it's what they want. We need to trust each other so that we can make it through this nightmare."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Alyssa let out a weak giggle. "You almost sound like you believe that," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Alright, I'll trust you, Harry."

"Good. Now, what do your instincts say we should do? Any hint?"

Alyssa sat in silence for a few more seconds before letting out a breath. "We need to get May's watch," she said slowly. "That's her sentimental item. We need to free her. Sledgehammer… he said that so long as she was here, he could never die. If we free here… then we can stop him, once and for all."

"Right," Harry said. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably in the tailor's somewhere," he said. "But we need to get-"

"Alyssa!"

The pair immediately went silent as Sledgehammer's voice boomed from outside: Harry supposed it had been too much to hope that he actually had been stuck in that locker forever. "Where are you, little brat?!" the man roared; sounding angrier than ever. "You and your little friend are beginning to _irk _me! Come out and I'll make it quick, hide and you'll only prolong your suffering!" Alyssa leaned against Harry, her hands clenched on her bottle, but she was able to keep her nerves under control. A few seconds later, Sledgehammer let out a bellowing laugh before the sound of his hammer striking wood was heard. "There you are! I'm coming in!"

'He took it, great idea,' Harry mouthed, throwing a grateful glance at Alyssa, who nodded. A moment later, the sound of the door crashing in was heard, and Sledgehammer's bellows faded.

"So the question we have to ask now is how do we get through the black sigils? Both the one in the tailor and the one keeping us in here." Harry whispered once they were sure he was searching their supposed hiding place.

Alyssa frowned. "I… I _think _I can break them," she said. "It's like the one back at the tailors… I just need something to strengthen me."

Harry nodded. "It's possible we'll find something for the tailors in here."

Alyssa glanced at Harry. "Why do you say that?"

"Remember what happened when May died. She was here for that competition, and it didn't go well. With how upset her ghost is, she probably ran home as soon as she finished, so she might have forgotten something important, something that would let us get into the other room. I'd wager that's where the watch is."

"But how do we get out of the hall?"

"Still working on that," Harry said. "Should we move? He might still be-"

"Alyssa!"

"I really wish he'd stop doing that," Alyssa moaned as she pressed herself back against the wall.

"He's trying to scare you," Harry breathed. "He's trying to make you panic. Just keep calm, he doesn't know we're here. We could be anywhere in the building."

Before Alyssa could answer, the door to the storage room burst open. "Wizard!" Sledgehammer roared. "I have no interest in your pathetic blood, all I want is the Rooder. Give her to me, and you may leave with your miserable life!" Harry scowled: how little did this man think of him that he'd turn on his friend. He was no traitor.

However, this did present a problem. If the man searched this room properly, there was a risk that he'd find the pair in their hiding spot. Alyssa took a breath and prepped her Holy Water, but Harry stopped her: that was still a resource that should be used as sparingly as possible. Besides, he had an idea: when the pair had come in he'd noticed a rather large stack of heavy music cases piled just opposite their closet.

The closet door sprang open, and the pair stayed frozen in place. For a long few seconds, it seemed like they were going to get away with it, but then Sledgehammer started sniffing.

"Lavender…" he said. "Come out, Alyssa, I _smell _you! Come out and die!"

"_Flipendo!_" Harry cried, pointing his wand. The jet of light shoved its way through the cloths and shot by Sledgehammer's head.

"You missed!" he crowed, swinging his hammer to smash the rail. "Not that it would have done you any good! Come, Alyssa, waste your precious water, there is nothing in this place that will fill it! It's only a matter of time!"

"I hit exactly what I was aiming for," Harry quipped.

Behind Sledgehammer, the stack had grown unstable as a key piece was knocked out. As the man began to turn, the whole thing overbalanced and toppled towards him, completely burying him with a cry of shock and pain.

"Great job, Harry!" Alyssa cried. "But how do we get out?"

Harry grimaced, he hadn't thought of that. "Back this way," he said, pushing towards the wall away from the door. "And you might want to cover your face."

"Why?"

"_Expulso!_"

With a boom and a flash of blue light, the wall of the closet shattered, throwing splinters every which-way. Harry hissed as a few pierced his arm which he'd covered his own face with, though thankfully it seemed that Alyssa had been spared. "Come on, before he digs himself out, let's go find May's dressing room!" Harry said, leading the way out of the storage area.

* * *

As the pair closed and locked the door, Alyssa had a sudden idea. "Wait, let's go this way," she whispered, grabbing Harry's arm.

"Why?" Harry said. "We need to find-"

"Later. First, let's go through this way, I saw an employee's only door that we should check out." Alyssa said.

"But-"

"We still need to find a way out of this building; and I just realized that our best bet is to find something _connected _to this place, and our best bet for that is to go somewhere where the people who work here spent a lot of time. Even if we don't find something for the tailors in the hall, at least we'll have more room to maneuver if we can get out of here. And I can refill my bottle."

Harry nodded. "Great idea, Alyssa," he said. "Let's go, he'll get out before too long."

The pair hurried in the direction of the stairs back down, but rather than stop there (Harry didn't even stop to seal it, since it was laying in three pieces on the other side of the hall from its frame) they continued on to the heavy Employee Only door Alyssa had spotted when they first reached this floor. Thankfully, it didn't have a sigil that would let Sledgehammer know they'd gone this way, so with a quick _Alohamora _they carefully eased it open and slipped in.

The new area was a lot more cramped than the wide, elegant corridors that the patrons would walk through; with only a combination of bare stone, cheap, tough carpets and unadorned doors. "Where now?" Harry asked.

Alyssa was just about to answer when she paused; the music had reached on of its breaks, and she could have sworn… "Shh," she whispered, carefully leading Harry deeper into the area so that they were out of sight if Sledgehammer checked in here. "Did you hear that?"

The pair waited tensely as May played through her Chopin again, and when she paused after her mistake once again Alyssa heard it, a faint moaning that sounded like it was coming from somewhere above them.

"Sounds like another ghost," Harry said. "Maybe it has something that can help us."

"And if not, at least we can set them free," Alyssa said. "Come on, it sounds like its coming from this way."

It took the pair a few minutes to find narrow, dark set of stairs leading upwards. "_Lumos,_" Harry whispered, lighting the way for the two to climb what felt like two stories before they reached another heavy metal door. This one had two things of note: a sigil and a sign. From beyond, they heard the ghostly moaning more clearly, enough to make out the words: "My coat… my coat…"

"Warning: Stage Catwalk. Watch your Step," Alyssa read warily, clutching her sacred bottle to her. "I wonder how he died…"

"I guess we'll find out in a moment," Harry said. "How much water do you have?"

Alyssa opened the top and peered inside. "I'd say three or four good splashes, more if I'm careful," she said. "Hopefully that'll be all it takes to get out of here and refill it."

"Make sure to keep one for the sigil," Harry said. "If Sledgehammer comes, let me tackle him first. I can't stop him as well as you can, but I can slow him down."

"Right," Alyssa said. "Okay, let's go." Carefully, she poured as little of her precious water onto the sigil as she could, causing it to break and fall away. "We should hurry; he might be able to sense these things breaking."

As the pair entered, the had to squint to try and see with the limited light that Harry's wand provided: the powerful spotlights were all aimed down towards the stage far below, where Alyssa could see May morosely playing her endless loop of Chopin. Up here, it was still almost pitch black, so it took a bit of walking to figure out what was going on.

The main catwalk went around the edges of the room, however there was also a sort of hanging island in the center of the open space, right over the center of the stage far below. For some reason, there was no solid way between this section and the main catwalk, so someone had laid a sturdy plank between the two; wide enough that a particularly daring individual could walk between the two. Blinking, Alyssa stepped closer to peer over the edge, only to recoil in horror.

"Oh my god…"

A man had apparently been trying to make the crossing safer by creating a makeshift harness out of rope, but by either error or sabotage had accidentally made his own doom. The rope seemed to have somehow wrapped itself around his neck as he fell, causing him to hang himself. Even in the faint light, Alyssa could clearly tell his neck was broken. Floating around the body, mumbling, was his ghost.

"This doesn't make sense," Harry murmured. "Are the only people in this place those that have died?"

"That… could be. Just because Sledgehammer's primarily feeding off of May, doesn't mean he can't also use the suffering of others to make himself stronger," Alyssa said. "Maybe he's somehow able to draw them into this place." She shook her head. "However he got here, what's important is that we have to free him. A coat… we need to find his coat."

"Knowing our luck, it's probably out on that island," Harry said.

"Can you use magic to get it?" Alyssa asked.

Harry peered into the darkness before shaking his head. "No, I can't," he said. "_Wingardium Leviosa _only really works on things you can see, and it's too dark over there." Rolling his shoulders, he started to step towards the plank. "Well, I guess there's no choice: that coat is our best chance of getting out of here. Stand back, I'm going to-"

That sounded like a _spectacularly _bad idea. Sure, Harry seemed rather agile, but seeing as what happened to the _last_ man who'd tried to cross that death-trap of a bridge... Looking around, Alyssa spotted an unlit lamp sitting on a small table. "Wait!" she said. "If you float that over, then you'll be able to see without either of us needing to risk our necks."

Harry glanced at it before smiling. "Great," he said. "Set it down, and I'll light it." Alyssa did as he said, allowing him to open it and mutter "_Incendio,_" producing a small gout of fire that set the lantern glowing.

"How many spells do you know?" Alyssa asked as Harry began to levitate it over.

"A few dozen?" Harry said. "I'm not that great: my friend Hermione's the best witch in the year, she probably knows a few _hundred._" He sighed. "I wish she was here; she'd probably have gotten us out of the house without an issue."

Frowning slightly, Alyssa found herself compelled to change the subject. "So, are your family all wizards?"

Something strange flashed across Harry's face, and when he answered his voice was cool. "My parents were, but they're dead. My aunt and uncle hate everything to do with magic." Before Alyssa could even begin to process that answer, the lamp reached the island, and Harry gave a triumphant noise. "There, got it," he said. "_Wingardium-_"

"ALYSSA!"

"Oh, not again," Alyssa muttered, spinning to look back at the door to the catwalk, only to realized that Sledgehammer wasn't there. In fact, he was down on the floor of the theater, glaring up at them. A moment later, he turned and sprinted back towards the door leading back to the halls. "Please, hurry!"

"On it," Harry said, levitating the coat over as fast as he could. As it passed, the ghost turned to start up at it in the mesmerized fashion that told Alyssa this was indeed his sentimental item. As she grabbed it from the air, the ghost started drifting upwards, coming into reach.

"I have found what has been lost!" Alyssa called, trying to mentally track how long it would take Sledgehammer to reach them. "Now, I return it to you, so that you may pass on in peace!"

The ghost came to a halt in front of her, and rather than try to stuff the coat into its heart, she found herself draping it hurriedly over the ghost's shoulders before quickly splashing a bit of water onto him. Once again, warm light began to spread over the ghost, its horrific visage fading into a peaceful expression.

"My key…" the ghost breathed just as it faded from this world. "Take my key…" Blinking, Alyssa looked down. At her feet lay two items, both barely big enough to avoid falling through grating of the catwalk. The first was another of those glowing gemstones, while the second was a fancy key; gold with a large M at the top.

As Alyssa scooped it up, she swore that she felt her bottle warm in her hand. "Harry… I think this'll get us out," she said. "I'm pretty sure it's the master key to the building. If anything will have meaning, it'll be this."

"Good, then let's go before-"

"Found you!"

Both teenagers yelped as Sledgehammer burst through the door into the rafters. "Splash him!" Harry cried, and Alyssa knew what he was thinking: there was no way they'd get around him on this narrow catwalk, and there weren't any convenient heavy objects for Harry to drop on him.

"Not this time, Alyssa!" Sledgehammer roared, shaking the catwalk as he charged, raising his hammer. "You-"

"_Lumos Solem!_"

This time, rather than a ball of light with about the intensity of a torch, a beam like a spotlight blasted out from Harry's pointed wand, causing Sledgehammer to roar in pain as he covered his eyes. Dodging his blind swing, Alyssa dashed forward and hit him with a splash of water, once again causing him to burst into blue flame.

"Come on, let's go!" Alyssa said, pushing past Sledgehammer and dashing to the door. They didn't have time to try and disable him, they just had to _go._ The pair nearly tripped several times as they ran down the stairs, but somehow kept going, Harry locking each door behind them to buy just a few more seconds, just a little more time.

As they reached the main foyer, Harry pointed to the pulsing black sigil. "You're almost out of water! Let's get through that so you can refill!" Alyssa nodded and dashed over.

As she reached it, the key in her pocket heated up. Acting on instinct, Alyssa yanked it out and slammed it against the black sigil. As soon as it touched the dark magic, it flared white-hot, causing Alyssa to yelp and pull her hand away even though it didn't actually burn. The key remained stuck to the sigil as if it was glued to it, its blazing light transforming the black smoke into the familiar, breakable blue of a normal sigil before vanishing from existence. As she heard the door behind them slam open, Alyssa desperately splashed almost all of her remaining water onto the sigil, causing it to break. Before the shards had even finished dissipating, Harry had unlocked and thrown the door open, allowing the pair to dart out just ahead of Sledgehammer's swinging namesake.

"Fill up! I'll hold him off!" Harry shouted, spinning as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Alyssa didn't bother arguing, she just sprinted as fast as her tired legs could take her to the gurgling fountain in the center of the courtyard. Not caring if she got her uniform wet, she dunked the bottle completely into the pool. "Come on, come on…" she whimpered, pulling the bottle out to stare as it slowly changed from normal water to Holy Water.

Behind her, Harry was firing off spells like they were going out of fashion, but Sledgehammer was having none of it. His hood had been pulled down enough to protect him from the blaze of Harry's light spells, and everything else was just bouncing off. Harry, however, was fast, and he dodge one swing, then two, never stopping his casting. "Hold on, Harry!" Alyssa cried as the water began to glow, and she turned to run back towards the battle.

Harry ducked beneath another swing of the hammer, but this time Sledgehammer was ready. Stepping forward, he was somehow able to envelop Harry in a bear hug, seemingly trying to squeeze the life out of the young wizard. "Die, wizard!" the monster roared. "Die and-"

"Get away from him!" Alyssa screamed, splashing her water all over the pair. Harry, of course, was unharmed though he did seem to have gotten some in his mouth as he started coughing and wheezing as he stumbled away from the burning Sledgehammer.

"Thanks," he choked out, allowing Alyssa to grab his arm and pull him back towards the gate. "Wait, we have to-"

"We'll lose him first!" Alyssa said. "Then we'll get what we need!" Harry nodded as he regained his footing and the pair darted out of the opera house and back onto the bombed streets of London.

"We should split up," Harry said as the two turned a corner. "I can lead-"

"No!" Alyssa snapped. "No, we'll get through this _together, _just like you said we would. I _need_ you!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Alyssa saw Harry falling behind. Turning, she saw that he had slowed to a halt, gaping at her strangely. A second later, she realized what she had just said, and she felt her face heat up. "I mean, we both have skills that the other doesn't, so we need to stay together," she improvised desperately. "I can break the sigils and stop Sledgehammer, you can unlock everything else. It's symbiotic!"

"What?" Harry asked, his bright green eyes still staring blankly at her.

"Symbiotic. That's what it means when two creatures work together in a mutually beneficial way to survive in a hostile environment." Alyssa made a sweeping gesture with her arms. "And I'd say this is a pretty hostile environment."

Slowly, Harry closed his mouth. "Yeah, yeah that makes sense," he said. "Come on, we should go before Sledgehammer… catches up…" He glanced over his shoulder. "We didn't get that far… why isn't he chasing us?"

Alyssa's heart fell. "Because he knows we need to go back," she said. "He knows we need something from May's dressing room to get through the black sigil back at the tailors. He doesn't have to chase us: we'll come to him."

The two teenagers stared at each other for several seconds before Harry sighed. "Well, let's go," he said. "No point in waiting around." Alyssa had hoped he'd say something else, but deep down she knew he was right. The longer they waited, the longer poor May would be suffering and having her soul tortured for Sledgehammer's amusement. They needed to save her, and for that they needed to confront the nightmare head on.

"Right," she said glumly. "Let's go."

Slowly, the pair crept back to the corner, peering around in case their hunter was waiting in ambush. He was nowhere in sight: indeed the doors to the concert hall were still wide open. Inviting them. Taunting them. Harry grunted before leading the way back through the gate, listening intently for any noise or hint that might warn them of an upcoming ambush. Finally, however, they reached the doors.

"One moment," Harry said, breaking off a branch from the meticulously-maintained hedge. Before Alyssa could chide him: a lot of gardeners had surely put a lot of work into that, he waved his wand and transformed it into a small iron bar, which he placed carefully where the doors would close. "Just in case, so we don't have to find another master key," he said.

The trip back to the main stage was just as tense and just as silent; there was still no sign of Sledgehammer. They found May still playing her piano, and Alyssa found herself pausing to watch. "May…" she whispered.

"Daddy's watch…" the girl whimpered through her tears as she reached her mistake. "I need Daddy's watch…"

"We'll find it for you, May," Alyssa said, gently patting the surprisingly solid ghost on her non-bloodied shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll be free soon. I promise."

For an instant, the girl glanced at Alyssa, her surviving eye widening with something that looked like hope. However, as that second passed, she let out a tired sob and started playing again, her gaze once more locked on the piano in front of her.

"Take a look," Harry said, pointing at the rack where the sheet music would sit. It took Alyssa a second to realize what he was getting at, but she finally noticed that the paper May was playing from was as ghostly as she was; the blood smearing the piano could faintly be seen through it. "May, where's your music sheet?"

The girl paused for a second. "It… it was here… I didn't take it after… after…" then she started crying again.

"Someone must have grabbed it after she left," Harry said. "But where would they put it…"

"If I had to guess, they'd take it back to the dressing room she used," Alyssa said. "May-" but the girl simply kept playing, seemingly unable to respond to Alyssa's queries anymore. "Alright, let's leave the poor girl be and find her music; I have a good feeling about it."

The two crept backstage again, looking at the various dressing-room doors along the wall. "That one," Alyssa whispered after a moment. "There's a blood smear on the handle."

"Sledge's probably in there," Harry whispered back. "It opens inwards; I'll blast it open as hard as I can, you splash the other side. Either way, we'll stagger him long enough to get in and find what we need. Ready?"

Alyssa took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."

"Right. On three?" One. Two… Three!

With a cry, a jet of light shot from the end of Harry's wand, slamming the door open hard enough to smash against the wall and bounce back. Alyssa, meanwhile, splashed a generous helping of water into the room before charging in after it, ready to use more if it was needed.

There was no sign of Sledgehammer. Blinking, Alyssa came to a halt, only for Harry to barrel into her as he followed, knocking the pair to the ground.

"Oof!" Alyssa grunted as she felt Harry's weight come down on top of her. "Hey, watch it!"

"You stopped!" Harry shot back, rolling off her to slam the door shut. "What was I supposed to do?!"

"Maybe not follow right-" Alyssa stopped herself. "No, no, let's not fight. We're in this together. Just next time, give me a little space, okay. So we don't both get clobbered at the same time."

"Alright," Harry said, offering a hand to pull Alyssa to her feet. "But this doesn't make any sense, where is he?"

After a few seconds, Alyssa shook her head. "Well, if he's willing to give up, I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Come on, let's find May's sheet music." Harry didn't look convinced, but he didn't complain as the pair began to scan the room.

It wasn't hard to find what they were looking for: on the table of the small vanity actors used to check their costumes and makeup lay several sheets of paper. Picking them up, Alyssa once more felt a rush of warmth. "These are them!" she said. Looking down, she frowned as she saw dozens of notes and suggestions all over the margins, all written in what was clearly May's handwriting. "Look at this… all the work May put into this… she must have really wanted to win this contest."

"Why was it so important to her?" Harry asked. "I mean, I get that she likes music, but this seems more like an obsession."

"She keeps talking about her father…" Alyssa said. "The one who's a soldier. Maybe…" a horrible thought occurred to her, "Maybe he didn't make it. Maybe this was meant to be a tribute to him."

Harry flinched. "That would explain it," he said. "And why she's so upset that Sledgehammer would trap her here as well as the moment of her death. Damn." Alyssa didn't have the heart to ask him not to curse: it was all too awful.

"We have to free her," she said. "If she was killed during the War… then she's been kept from her father for fifty years! Trapped in this horrific half-life, killed and tormented over and over and over…" Slowly, Alyssa's sadness turned to rage. "How _dare he?! _How _dare _Sledgehammer do this!? We have to stop him. Free May, then _end him!_" Breathing heavily, Alyssa spun on her heel and stormed towards the door to carry out her plan.

"Wait! We-"

The door slammed open right into Alyssa's face.

In a part of her mind that wasn't currently focused on the fact that she was pretty sure her nose was broken, Alyssa noted that Sledgehammer had turned their own plan against them. This would have been impressive if it hadn't meant, you know, that they were both about to _die._ Desperately trying to blink the pain out of her face, Alyssa scrambled towards her bottle, which had been knocked from her hands and under a dresser.

"Too late, Alyssa!" Sledgehammer crowed, his hand wrapping around her ankle to drag her back before flipping her over and pinning her down with one massive boot on her stomach. "You put up a good fight, but it's over now." Raising his hammer above his head with both hands, he leered down at her. "But your torment is only _beginning._"

Then, Harry was there. Ignoring his wand, he slammedinto Sledgehammer with a tackle that looked like it used every ounce of strength in his body. This, combined with the heavy hammer head, caused the man to topple back with a shocked cry, Harry on top of him. "Go!" Harry shouted, raising his clenched hand. "Get the bottle! Go!"

Alyssa rolled onto her hands and knees and scrambled for her fallen weapon, its faintly glowing water shining enough to be visible in the darkness. Ignoring the sound of Harry's fists striking Sledgehammer's face behind her, she threw herself onto her belly and stretched her arm as far as it would go, even as the pain of her hard landing lanced through her shoulder and blood dripped from her nose. "Got it!" she cried after a second, snagging the handle and yanking it out.

"GAH!"

Clambering to her feet, Alyssa turned to see that Sledgehammer had used his greater strength and bulk to turn the tables, pinning Harry down by his neck beneath him. The other hand was on his hammer, gripping it just below the head and lifting it up above Harry's skull as the wizard's hands weakly clawed at Sledgehammer's chokehold, his face turning blue.

**"DIE!"**

"HARRY!" Alyssa wailed, throwing herself forward and splashing water towards the massive man, desperately willing the glinting, glowing drops to go farther, to go faster, to get there in time, even though she knew it was futile.

The hammer came down.


	4. Silver and Gold

_Disclaimer: Still don't own, won't in future. Carry on._

Chapter 4: Silver and Gold

As Harry's vision faded to black, almost blocking out the hammer that was about to kill him, a distant part of his mind mused that this was the second time he was about to die trying to save a girl, and that part wondered what that said about him. Of course, this time there was no Fawkes to save him, no magic tears to restore a crushed skull. Alyssa would have to finish this on her own.

As time seemed to stretch on infinitely, as he faintly heard Alyssa cry out something, Harry found himself hoping that she'd be able to make it out. She had her water, and she was clever, but she was so inexperienced… it was funny: he'd only bumbled his way through a few adventures, only made it so far because of Ron and Hermione… he wished they'd been here, that he'd gotten to see them again… that he'd been able to live with Sirius, that-

The hammer fell.

There was a brilliant flash of light, and amazingly, Harry could breathe again. Coughing and choking, he blinked color back into his eyes in time to see Sledgehammer thrown back into the spray of holy water, which promptly engulfed him in blue fire as he screamed.

"HARRY!" Alyssa wailed, leaping over the fallen killer and throwing herself to her knees beside Harry, grabbing his shoulder and starting to shake him. "Harry oh my God are you okay?! Please, please be okay I'm so sorry-"

"I'm fine," Harry said. Well, he tried to: the words got lost in the gasping and coughing as his body desperately tried to get air back into his lungs through a throat that was still painfully bruised from the brutal chokehold it had been subjected too. Alyssa didn't seem mollified, tears starting to leak from her eyes even as blood continued to drip from her broken nose.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…"

Finally, Harry was able to recover enough to grab the girl's shoulder. "I'm okay," he croaked out. "Everything's fine."

"But-"

"We've gotta go," Harry groaned, trying to push himself to his feet. "Before-"

Alyssa's eyes widened, and she spun to see Sledgehammer trying to quietly get to his feet, gripping his hammer. "Oh no you don't!" she snarled, splashing him with another helping of water to keep him on the ground. Then, for good measure, she upended to bottle and poured almost all the rest of her supply on the thrashing man. "Stay down you foul, evil-"

"Alyssa!" Harry said, using the wall to pull himself up after grabbing his wand from where it had fallen. "Don't, it's not worth it. Come on, let's go,"

For a moment, Alyssa just glared at Sledgehammer, her blue eyes flashing with uncommon rage, but finally she tore herself away. "Of course," she said, hurrying back to Harry. "Here, let me-"

"I'm fine," Harry said, slightly offended by the fact that Alyssa was trying to get his arm over her shoulders so that she could help him out of the room. "My legs are just fine; I can walk by myself." Alyssa didn't look convinced, but she satisfied herself with holding the door open for him. As soon as he was out, she shot one more death glare at Sledgehammer before slamming it shut.

"We have what we need," she said, holding up the papers which, miraculously, were undamaged. "Come on, let's go save May and put an end to this… _cretin._"

The two hurried out of the concert hall, Alyssa pausing only to scoop more water into her bottle to refill it. As the two made their way carefully through the bombed-out streets back towards the tailor, however, Harry noticed Alyssa glancing at him more and more. Finally, he turned to face her. "Really, I'm fine."

The redhead flushed slightly, but shook her head. "I'm glad to hear that, truly I am, but…" she paused for a second before continuing. "Harry, I'm sorry to bring this up so soon after what happened, but… how did you survive? Your wand wasn't in your hand and you couldn't talk with Sledgehammer choking you…"

Harry forced himself to shrug. "I don't know," he said, trying to not sound as unnerved as he felt. Just because this sort of thing had happened before didn't mean Harry was comfortable with it. "I just felt a heat, saw a flash, and the next thing I knew Sledgehammer was on the ground. I don't know what I did." He supposed it was possible that it was some sort of magic similar to when his mother's sacrifice had protected him from Voldemort, but somehow he didn't think so. Accidental magic was also possible, but that just didn't seem right to him.

Alyssa frowned thoughtfully. "I saw the flash too," she said. "And I thought I heard a noise, like a window shattering, just as the hammer hit you…" Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Harry, check your pocket! The one you put that gem in."

It took Harry a second to remember what she was talking about, but then he blinked: the heat he'd felt had seemed to come from that pocket. Quickly digging his hand in, he hissed as he pricked his finger on something sharp. Being more careful, he coaxed the gem out. It lay in two pieces, with cracks running through both shards. The faint light that had shone within it was gone, leaving only dull, purple rock behind. After a moment, as if satisfied that Harry had sufficiently mourned its sacrifice, the stone crumbled into dust.

"So that's what they do," Alyssa breathed. "Those ghosts… they must be so thankful to us for ending their pain that they give the energy that kept them here to us, so that we don't have to suffer their fate." Shaking her head, she reached into her own pocket, pulled out one of her stones and held it out for Harry. "Here. We each should always have one of these on us, just in case." Harry started to open his mouth to refuse. After all Alyssa was the one Sledgehammer was after; Harry himself just happened to be in the way, but Alyssa seemed to realize what he was about to say and shoved it into his hand. "No! No you have saved me too many times, risked yourself too much for me to leave you defenseless just to selfishly keep myself a little safer. You are going to _take this _and you are going to _like it._"

"Yes ma'am," Harry said only slightly sarcastically as he put the stone in his pocket. Alyssa puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, causing Harry to force back a laugh. "Thank you."

"No, thank you, Harry," Alyssa said. "You wouldn't have almost died if I'd listened to you."

Harry shrugged. "Hey, we made it out intact." He grimaced as his eyes flicked to Alyssa's broken nose, blood still dripping from it. "Well, mostly…"

Alyssa gingerly raised a finger to poke at it, only to hiss in pain. "How bad is it?" she asked, grimacing as she looked at the blood on her finger.

Honestly, it was bad. The only other nose that Harry had seen that was so clearly broken was Professor Dumbledore's, but while the old headmaster made it seem venerable, Alyssa… didn't, but he didn't want to just say that to the girl's face…

However, Alyssa seemed able to read his expression as she sighed bitterly. "It's bad, isn't it," she said. Harry slowly nodded, causing Alyssa to sigh again. "Well, at least we're both alive," she muttered. Pulling out a handkerchief from one of her pockets, she carefully dripped some of her holy water onto it before gently starting to clean the blood off of her face.

As she reached her nose itself, however, she let out a yelp of surprise and yanked the cloth away. "What is it?" Harry asked warily.

"It felt tingly," Alyssa said, carefully returning the blood-stained cloth to her nose. "It doesn't hurt, it just-Ah!"

As she pulled her hand away again. Harry could see why she was surprised: the nose was not _nearly _as bad as it had been. It was still a bit crooked, but compared to the mess Sledgehammer had left it in originally… "Your water must have healing powers," he said. "Like phoenix tears."

Carefully dripping a few more drops onto the cloth, Alyssa pressed it back to her nose, hissing slightly as whatever magic the water held did its work. After a few seconds (and Harry having to stop her from distractedly walking into a wall and undoing all the good the water had done,) she pulled the handkerchief away to reveal a perfectly straight, unbroken nose. "Wow," she whispered. "Thanks, Mum."

"That water's certainly impressive," Harry said. He wondered just what enchantments were on the bottle to create such a substance: able to not just heal, but also disable dark magic, break wards, teleport… all of those were things Harry knew were possible, but all in one convenient, replenishable package… just what kind of magic was this? Was it related to that word Sledgehammer had used: Rooder? The mystery just kept deepening.

"Right, we're here," Alyssa said, nodding to the sign for Norton's Tailor. "And no sign of Sledgehammer: I wonder if using all that water kept him down for longer?"

"Or maybe he's going to set another ambush back at the hall," Harry said. "He had to know it wouldn't take us too long to find what we needed here." The girl sighed, but didn't comment as she pushed the door open and led the way back to the workroom and the black sigil

Alyssa took a deep breath before pressing May's music sheet to the sigil just as she'd done with the master key in the concert hall. Like with that sigil, this one flared brightly, the darkness fading away to reveal a normal sigil underneath. Alyssa quickly splashed it with holy water, shattering it, before leading the way into the room beyond.

It looked to be a small, comfortable family room. A piano, much smaller than the grand one in the concert hall but still well made, sat against one wall, On the other side of the room sat a few comfy chairs clustered around a fireplace, a small blaze crackling peacefully within. Pictures hung on the walls, mostly small landscape pieces, though over the fire there was a beautiful portrait of three people: a much younger May sitting between a man and a woman who had to be her father and mother. The rest of the walls were taken up by windows, though for some reason they were covered with what looked like heavy cardboard painted black. Unlike the rest of the building, there were no signs of damage, ransacking or suffering. The only thing out of place was a small, crumpled sheet of paper against the wall by the hearth, as if someone had tried to throw it into the flame but missed and didn't bother going back to get it right.

More than any of this, however, Harry noticed a sense of peace in this room that was absent anywhere else. Almost as if he had eaten chocolate after a brush with a dementor, warmth flooded him as he looked around the room, banishing a cold he hadn't even realized he felt.

"Do you feel that?" Alyssa asked.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"I think… I think we're safe here. I don't think Sledgehammer can come into this room. It's… sacred."

Harry sincerely hoped that this was one of Alyssa's accurate instincts, since he didn't want to have a repeat of the ambush in of the dressing room. "Alright," he said. "We're looking for a watch of some sort, let's get to it."

As the pair moved into the room, however, Harry found his eye drawn once again to the crumpled paper. It wasn't what they were looking for, but it might still have information on what was going on around here, so he hurried over and picked it up. Unfolding it, he saw that it was too small to be a full piece of paper, but it still had enough space to hold a short message.

"Regret to inform you…" Harry muttered as he read

"Hey," Harry started, holding up the tiny message as he turned. "You were right, May's…" His voice trailed off as he saw that Alyssa was frozen in place in front of the fireplace, a battered golden pocket watch in her hands and her eyes staring blankly into the distance, as if she wasn't really there anymore.

* * *

The instant Alyssa opened the small jewel box on the mantel and took the watch out, the world around her seemed to shift and warp. "Harry!" she yelped, spinning in place to try and figure out what was going on.

The room had changed. Whereas before it had been night, the windows blacked out to protect the home from German bombers, it was now a cool but bright autumn day. Sunlight glinted through the window, falling on the piano like a halo.

May sat there, whole and unblemished, wearing a casual blouse and skirt and playing the same song Alyssa had been hearing all night. However, this rendition was different. It wasn't the flawless performance of before; there were tiny errors that Alyssa could only detect because the song had been all but drilled into her head, but this May didn't seem to mind her mistakes. She kept playing, humming to herself as she did. She seemed… happy, at peace, rather than the shattered wreck that haunted the world Alyssa had seen.

"May," Alyssa called softly, hurrying over to the girl's side, but there was no reaction. May didn't so much as glance in Alyssa's direction, even when the older girl touched her shoulder. Well, tried to: Alyssa's hand went through May as if she wasn't really there. Before Alyssa could think to try anything else, the door to the rest of the house opened. For an instant, Alyssa thought that it was Sledgehammer, returned to finish what he'd started, but as she spun to look she realized it was a normal man.

May's father paused in the doorway, watching his daughter play with a sad, tired expression. In his hands was clutched a telegram sheet, which he glanced at again before seeming to steel himself. May didn't notice her father's approach, continuing to blissfully play her music until he put his own hand on her shoulder; unlike Alyssa's he was able to touch her.

The girls squeaked adorably as she glanced up before her face split into a broad smile. "Daddy," she said. "Did you come to hear me play? I'm getting a lot better, aren't I?"

The man smiled gently. "Yes, May, you are," he said. "Just like your mother."

The girl beamed with pride for a second before she noticed the signs of stress that Alyssa had already seen. "What is it?" she asked, her smile slowly fading.

"…May, I have to tell you something important," Mr. Norton said, slowly turning towards the sitting area. "I… I just received word that… I'm going to be going away for a while. Daddy's… going off to war."

"War…" May whispered, standing.

"I hate the thought of leaving you here, all alone," Mr. Norton said, sitting heavily in the largest chair.

May smiled again, but even Alyssa could tell it was forced. "I'll be alright," she said bravely, trotting over to her father's side. "But what about you? You'll miss me while you're away, won't you?"

Mr. Norton glanced up before gently pulling his daughter into his lap. "Yes, I will," he said. "You're the most precious thing in the world to me, how could I not miss you?"

The pair sat in silence for a few seconds before May spoke again. "Remember, the winner of the Piano Concours will have their performance aired on the radio. I'll practice really, really hard and win the contest, so that you can listen to me. It'll be like we aren't apart at all!"

Mr. Norton smiled warmly. "That will be wonderful, May," he said softly. "The competition will be stiff, but I know you can do it."

May's own smiled widened. "Of course, Daddy," she said. "I've already picked out the song I'm going to play: Mummy's song." She reached into her father's pocket and pulled out the watch: just whole and unblemished as the girl who held it, and clicked it open to allow the smooth if slightly mechanical sound of Chopin to fill the room. "That way, she can be with us as well."

Father and daughter both smiled sadly before touching their foreheads together, obviously remembering their loved one.

Before Alyssa could think of maybe giving them some privacy, the memory swam before her vision, and an instant later it was night again. However, Chopin's music was still playing, but it was… broken. Scratchy, as if coming from a damaged recording… and over it Alyssa could hear the sound of sobbing. Now, May was curled up alone in the same chair she and her father had been sitting in, another telegram clutched in her hands. On the table in front of her sat the watch, which now sported the damage that Alyssa had seen on it in the present.

Even though she knew it wouldn't do any good, Alyssa hurried to May's side, trying to gently hold her hand. However, once again Alyssa's hand phased through May's, leaving the poor girl to suffer alone. She continued to sob for several long seconds, rocking back and forward in the chair as she stared at the telegram. Even without looking at it, Alyssa could guess what was written. "Oh May," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

The two girls, separated by time, sat together for a few seconds before May let out a wail and crumpled the telegram in her fist to try and throw it into the fire. She missed, and it bounced to a stop where Harry would pick it up. Leaning forward, May grabbed her father's watch and hugged it to herself, and all Alyssa could do was bear silent witness.

She couldn't tell how long she knelt there, watching May cry every last tear in her body. Finally, however, the younger girl rubbed her eyes. "Daddy," she whispered. "I'll do it. I'll win the Concours**.** I'll play so well that even up in Heaven, you'll be able to hear me. I will make you proud of me. You and Mummy both."

Again, the memory skipped forward. It was now early evening, and May was putting the finishing touches on the blackout. She was dressed in the beautiful formal cloths she wore to the opera hall… the same ones she died in. Once the window was properly secured, she hurried over to her piano and gathered up her sheet music before heading towards the door.

Then, she paused. Slowly, she turned to look at the mantel, where the watch was sitting in the open case. Slowly, she walked over and took it out, running her fingers along the various scratches and scars. Even without a word, Alyssa could tell that May was considering bringing it with her to the competition, as a reminder of her father, and again she was seized with the helpless wish to reach back in time and convince May to do it, to carry this memento of her father, somehow knowing that it would have spared her her fate.

May was so close, she was staring to open the chain that she'd tied into a makeshift necklace to put it on… when the watch fell open, and the scratchy, distorted notes of Chopin filled the room. Slowly, May shook her head. "No, no take it with you!" Alyssa begged desperately, but the girl simply put the watch back into its box and, with a final pause, closed it. Then, she turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her for the last time.

Only when the last echoes of the closing door faded did the memory fade, leaving Alyssa staring into the worried green eyes of Harry. "Alyssa, you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," Alyssa said. "Yes, I'm fine. I just… I saw the past. I saw what happened here: May's father going off to war, the notice of his death returning, then May…" she gripped the watch tightly. "She was going to take this with her. It would have helped her; I _know _it would have! Why… why did she leave it behind?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I'm sure she had her reasons."

The pair simply stared at the watch for several long seconds before Alyssa opened it, letting the distorted notes of Chopin fill the room. "We have what we need," she said, a sense of strength filling her as the gold seemed to warm in her hand. "Now we just need to return it to May, so that she can escape this nightmare. Then, we deal with Sledgehammer."

"Right," Harry said. "He'll probably be waiting in ambush."

"I've got plenty of water," Alyssa said. "Not matter how he tries to stop us, we will succeed. We will see May freed." She started to turn to the door, but paused. "Harry…"

Harry grinned. "Right," he said, gesturing with his wand and muttering a word. The door burst open, revealing the room beyond. No Sledgehammer waiting in ambush, not this time. "Way's clear."

Nodding, Alyssa put the watch around her neck, its gentle warmth filling her up. "Then let's go. It's time to end this."

It was funny, how much having a purpose and a hope changed things. Before, Harry and Alyssa had been forced to skulk through the streets, feeling hunted at every turn, worried that any corner might hide their pursuer. Now, however, they walked openly. Cautious, but not fearful. The tide had turned, and now they were the hunters.

Finally, the pair stood outside the gates of the concert hall. "Right," Harry said. "Let's do this." Alyssa nodded, gripping her bottle tightly, and led the way through the arch and into the courtyard. With no immediate danger, the pair made their way towards the door.

Just as they were passing the fountain, however, a dark voice called out. "Alyssa!" Looking up, Alyssa saw Sledgehammer sitting on the overhang of the doorway, his glowing eyes glaring balefully down at them.

"It's over, Sledgehammer!" she called back, holding up the watch. "We have May's Sentimental Item! She'll be free soon, and you'll be vulnerable. Then, we'll destroy you!"

Mocking laughter filled the air as Sledgehammer dropped, the ground shaking as he landed. "You think you're so clever, little girl," he growled, casually walking towards them, his hammer hooked over his shoulders. "You think you've got it all figured out, but you don't even know what game you're playing. Do you even know what I am?"

"A monster," Harry said, brandishing his wand.

"Ay, wizard, a monster. And we monsters do not _die so easily!_"

Faster than Alyssa could blink, Sledgehammer slammed his weapon into the ground before him. The stone shattered under his blow, and in an instant dark shadows began to pour from the crater, lashing out like tendrils. With a yelp, Alyssa let loose a spray of water at one that got too close, causing it to disperse, but most of the darkness flowed away from them, towards the door to the hall and the gate behind them. In an instant, two massive barriers formed, trapping the pair in the courtyard.

"I have tasted death before, Alyssa," Sledgehammer growled, grabbing at his collar. As he pulled it down, Alyssa saw a massive, ugly bruise running around the man's neck, almost like… "Yes," Sledgehammer crowed. "They thought they'd gotten rid of me that day on the gallows, but that was only the beginning! The Entity willed me to rise again, and I _did! _I became _fear itself!_"

"Entity?" Alyssa asked, even as some part of her recoiled instinctively at the mere word. Harry, meanwhile, was blinking, as if he was coming to some sort of epiphany, but Alyssa couldn't take any focus off of Sledgehammer.

"Truly, you know nothing, Alyssa Hamilton! What a disgrace you are, a bumbling, clumsy little girl who needs a boy to take care of her! Your mother would be so ashamed at the sight of you!"

"Liar!" Alyssa cried. "You _liar!_"

Sledgehammer laughed cruelly. "Liar, am I? Then tell me, _how do you plan to kill me?! _How are you going to break my barriers? How are you going to weaken me enough to get that little bauble into May's hands?!" A few seconds of silence passed before he laughed again. "You have no idea, do you? Not the faintest clue of what to do next. Your little boy won't be any help: no magic he wields can scratch me. My barrier will survive your water. Face it, it's _over, _Alyssa. It was fun while it lasted, but you're going to die now."

"Don't assume you know everything I'm capable of!" Harry snapped. "I have one trick up my sleeve!" As Sledgehammer started laughing again, Harry hissed to Alyssa "Go. Find a way to get through the door: I'll hold him off."

"But-"

"Go!" Then, Harry raised his wand.

"_**EXPECTO PATRONUM!**__"_

A blazing silver light burst from the end of Harry's wand, larger and brighter than even his Lumos Solem. As it flowed forward, its shape shifted: four long, hooved leg barely brushing the ground, massive antlers sprouting from a majestic head, eyes forming of even brighter pools of silver. A moment later, a great stag stood between the pair and Sledgehammer, pawing at the ground dangerously, and for once, Sledgehammer was silent, his laughter fading into uncertain silence.

"Get him!"

The stag cantered forward without a sound, lowering its antlers. Sledgehammer tried to jump out of the way, but the stag was too fast, catching him and throwing him across the courtyard to slam into the wall hard enough to leave a dent in the stone.

"Prongs and I have got this!" Harry said. "Go on, find a way to get that watch to May!" With that, he charged forward in the wake of his spirit guardian as Sledgehammer pushed himself to his feet.

Rushing off to save Alyssa again.

She knew she should do as he said: to go find some way of getting past the barrier. Sledgehammer had said that it would be able to withstand her water, and somehow she couldn't see him lying to her, but there had to be another way: climbing up to an open window, crawling through a bush, _something, _but her feet were frozen in place.

Alyssa did not think of herself as an overly proud girl. She knew she wasn't the smartest, nor the prettiest, nor even the bravest. She knew there were plenty of things she couldn't do, things that others were better at, and that it was good to be able to ask for help… but something about Sledgehammer's words made her angry. Angry that he was labeling her as some mere damsel in distress, needing a magical knight in dirty, oversized cloths to save her from her problems. And underneath that anger was a sense of shame that he was, in some ways, right. When the man in her home had threatened her, Harry had been the one to step up to save her. When Sledgehammer had first appeared, Alyssa had stupidly stood there waiting to die until Harry had spurred her to act. When she'd nearly descended into a blubbering wreck in the closet, Harry had comforted her while making a plan. Over and over again he'd stepped up when Alyssa had faltered, had stumbled, hadn't known what to do, and now, once again, he was throwing himself in harm's way to fight her battle.

That made Alyssa _mad._

There were no words for what happened next. No encouraging voice whispered in her ear to tell her what to do, but somehow she just _knew. _Knew that Harry's Patronus, despite being able to affect Sledgehammer, could not weaken him enough to bring down the barriers. Knew that he would eventually tired and falter, and then Sledgehammer would kill him.

Knew that it was time for Alyssa herself to fulfill her destiny.

She watched with a detached interest as her hands started moving of their own accord. One pulled May's watch from around her neck while the other opened the bottle. "Sorry, May, but I'm going to have to borrow this," she heard herself saying as she carefully poured a few drops onto the watch, which began to glow a bright gold. Carefully, she brought it next to the bottle, which also began to shine.

Then, she began to feed every emotion she'd felt throughout this nightmare, from the moment she set foot in her abandoned home to the present, into the glowing bottle. Her fear, her anger, her sorrow, her gratitude, every little thing that had passed through her mind and heart flowed into her mother's gift, causing the glow to grow brighter and brighter. The watch flashed one more time before melting into the bottle, which began to expand, two long limbs sprouting from the top and bottom. Automatically, Alyssa's grip shifted, muscle memory reminding her hand exactly how it should hold the bow that was forming before her. Although it was made of crystal and gold, she knew instinctively that it would bend just as easily as the ones back at school. She didn't have any arrows, but the fingers of her drawing hand glinted, and as she brought them close a string of golden light formed between the arms. Experimentally, she started to draw it back, and a second later an arrow of light appeared. Unlike a real bow, Alyssa felt no strain as she pulled the arrow back, watching as the glow on the arrowhead began to build and build…

A thin smile crossed her face as she raised her eyes to stare at Sledgehammer: it was time to _end _this.

* * *

Harry hissed as Sledgehammer's weapon collided with his Patronus's side. It seemed that just like it could hurt him, he could hurt it.

The memory he had used to conjure the Patronus: the joy he had felt when Sirius had told him that they could live together, that Harry could have a family that loved him at last, flickered in his mind as the stag stumbled to the side, its goring antlers missing their mark by a centimeter. Gritting his teeth, Harry reinforced the spell, and the Patronus swung his head back, making contact and knocking Sledgehammer off his feet.

"It's useless, boy," the monster growled as he fended off the stomping hooves. "You can touch me, but you cannot defeat me. Only a _true _Rooder can do that, and the little brat you've been dragging along doesn't even know what that _is! _You're going to die for _nothing!_"

"She's stronger than that!" Harry shot back, recalling his Patronus just in time to avoid a massive swing from the hammer. "You've underestimated us this entire time, and you've been wrong this entire time! She's going to make it through, and she's going to stop you!"

Sledgehammer laughed cruelly. "Not this time, little wizard," he said, slamming his hammer into the ground again to send a shockwave Harry's way, one he barely managed to jump over. Then, before Harry could recover, Sledgehammer lunged forward in a blur, his hammer seeking to knock Harry's head from his shoulders. The Patronus was there in plenty of time to knock the murderous lunatic aside, but he was able to strike a hard blow the silver animal as well, causing a flare of pain to jolt through Harry's head.

Thankfully, he was used to sudden pains, and so he kept his Patronus under control. "Is that all you've got?!" he taunted. He had to keep the man's attention, had to keep him from going after Alyssa as she did whatever was causing that golden light to shine… behind… him…

Sledgehammer, whose mouth had started to open with another taunt or threat, blinked as he stared over Harry's shoulder. Taking a few steps back, Harry took the risk of looking too.

Alyssa was standing there, a drawn bow gripped in her hands as she glared at Sledgehammer, her skirt and blazer rustling in a wind that only seemed to exist for her. "You claim I am no true Rooder," she said, somehow channeling Snape as her voice was so quiet that it shouldn't have reached across the distance but somehow it _did. _"Perhaps I am not. I do not even know what a Rooder _is. _But if you think that I am going to let you hurt my friend, you are _wrong, _Sledgehammer, and I will use every tool I have to make sure you pay for your crimes." The glowing arrow flared as she raised it smoothly, aiming down the shaft at the massive man. "**Now** **accept your judgement!**"

Turning back, Harry watched Sledgehammer's glowing eyes narrow. "Very well," he snarled. "I suppose I should have realized you would have some instinct: you have proven to be annoyingly persistent. But I have been a Subordinate since before you were born_, _Alyssa. I will not fall so easily!" Darkness seemed to swirl around him, and a moment later he dashed forward even faster, aiming for Alyssa.

The girl released her arrow just as Harry's Patronus charged in from the side, and Sledgehammer cried out as the glowing arrow slammed into his chest, causing wisps of shadow to be flayed off. Before he could recover, he was tossed aside by Prong's massive antlers, crashing into the fountain hard enough to shatter stone and cause water to spill out.

"It takes me a while to charge these arrows, Harry," Alyssa said. "Please, keep him off me!"

"On it, Alyssa," Harry said, recalling his Patronus and refocusing on the memory.

He had to survive this, so that he'd be able to see his godfather again, and he was going to make sure Alyssa and her mother saw each other again while he was at it!

Standing, Sledgehammer glowered at the pair, the darkness regathering. Harry realized that the darkness was coming from the massive barriers that kept them trapped here. If they could keep hurting him, then they'd eventually be able to get out!

"Little pests!" the monstrous man growled, stalking forward again and raising his hammer. Harry directed his Patronus forward: while it was _painful _when it took a hammer blow, it was at least survivable. Alyssa, meanwhile, planted her feet and drew her bow, the arrow's head glowing brighter and brighter.

Sledgehammer made to dodge Prongs, but Harry was too fast, redirecting the Patronus into his path. Snarling, he took a swing, but Harry simply pulled the Patronus back to let the hammer miss. Then, before he could get his weapon under control, Harry urged the magical guardian forward, again knocking Sledgehammer back with massive antlers.

Then, the man reached out a massive fist and grabbed the stag by the neck, causing pain to flash through Harry's head. "Weakling," he growled, his grip tightening and causing Harry's vision to begin to darken… it was as if Sledgehammer was choking him again-

Alyssa's arrow flew, and once again Sledgehammer was knocked back, the black magic around him stripped away before the light. Gasping, Harry waved his want to conjure ropes, trying to delay the man/beast a little longer as he got his breath.

"Are you alright?" Alyssa asked, hurrying forward.

"Fine."

The redhead started to open her mouth, but with a roar Sledgehammer caused the ropes to disintegrate in dark magic and the pair of teenagers to stumble back as the force reached them. _"Expecto Patronum!"_ Harry called again, reaching further back for a new memory, as the one with Sirius seemed to be… faint, now. His first Patronus memory, learning he was a wizard, that he was free at last… the silver stag regained its solid form and moved to shield the pair.

"Enough games!" Sledgehammer bellowed, more dark magic flowing from the barriers to gather around the ground at his feet. "Your souls will endure an eternity of torment at my hand!"

"Like we haven't heard that before!" Harry shot back.

Sledgehammer roared in fury, the shadows crawling up his legs as he raised his hammer… only to stop there rather than continue up his body as he seemed to crouch…

Harry had a horrid premonition of what was about to happen. "DODGE!" he cried as Alyssa started setting herself for another arrow shot, matching action to words as he threw himself to the side. Alyssa's eyes widened slightly, but she coolly sidestepped the other way just as Sledgehammer shot forward, his shadow-coated legs moving in a blur as he charged faster than Harry could get his Patronus into position. His charge shifted, bringing Alyssa back into range as he began to swing-

Alyssa tripped. The ground was littered with the pieces of the fountain and soggy from the leaking water, and her feet got tangled in the debris and brought her down with a pained hiss. Ironically, this probably saved her life (or at least her protective stone), as even Sledgehammer's enhanced speed wasn't enough to bring the hammer back on course as it shot over her head, and his momentum carried him well past her, allowing her to start to clamber to her feet as Harry rushed to help.

"DIE!" Sledgehammer roared, spinning the hammer and slamming it into the ground as he had before, shattering the pathway and sending a wave of shadowy spikes shooting through the ground in their direction, and with Alyssa still on the ground it wasn't likely they'd be able to dodge.

Harry didn't know if it was his own instinctual command or whether his Patronus had some will of its own, but before he could even start to formulate an order Prongs bounded into the path of the dark magic and threw itself onto the ground, absorbing the darkness into its own form. Light flashed behind Harry's eyes as agony shot through his scar, but he was able to stay on his feet even as his Patronus flickered out like a snuffed candle. Still, the dark spikes were stopped, allowing Alyssa to get up. Sledgehammer, meanwhile, had finished turning and was starting to crouch again.

"This way!" Alyssa cried, grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him towards one of the towering hedges near the wall, limping slightly due to a badly-skinned knee. She did an admirable job ignoring it, however, allowing the pair to duck behind the hedge just as Sledgehammer lunged forward.

Without warning, Alyssa skidded to a halt and threw her weight back against Harry, causing the pair to topple over backwards. Before Harry could even start to ask what she was playing at, Sledgehammer smashed through the hedge where they would have been had they kept going, his hammer scraping along the ground to leave more dark spikes in its wake. However, again his momentum proved to be his undoing, as Harry only briefly caught glimpse of his eyes widening before he slammed face-first into the wall.

Rolling off him, Alyssa leapt to her feet and aimed her bow, light gathering along the arrow. "Hurry! To the fountain!" she cried, releasing the arrow just as Sledgehammer started to turn, catching him in the face. With a pained cry, more dark magic was dispelled, forcing the man to pull more from his barriers. They were making progress!

_"Expelliarmus!"_ Harry shouted, knocking the hammer from Sledgehammer's hands as he did as Alyssa said. She darted after him, and the pair made it to the fountain unhindered. Alyssa raised her bow again, and summoning up another happy memory: this time Professor Dumbledore's gentle encouragement that Harry was a true Gryffindor, Harry recalled his Patronus, silver and gold light mingling harmoniously around the two teenagers.

Sledgehammer stalked around the ruined hedge, snarling in wordless fury as he glared at the pair of them. Raising his hammer, he slammed it into the ground, sending a wave of shadow their way. Alyssa loosed her arrow, but Sledgehammer was able to dodge clumsily out of the way. Harry, meanwhile, used the fountain as a boost to jump over the crawling darkness, followed by Alyssa.

However, Sledgehammer wasn't done, as he had kicked up several large, sharp chunks of stone. With a bellow, he swung his hammer like a cricket bat and sent one of them whizzing towards the pair like an extra-deadly Bludger. As they dodged, he did it again, and again…

"I can't focus," Alyssa hissed as she tried to aim her bow, only to be continuously forced to evade attacks. "Harry!"

_"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Harry yelled as the next stone flew, and it spun to a halt. Meanwhile, his Patronus was cantering to flank Sledgehammer: it was tricky keeping two spells running at once, but Levitation Charms weren't especially mentally taxing. He was able to twitch the rock he'd captured into the path of the next stone, causing both to shatter harmlessly in the air, and deflected another with a Flipendo before Alyssa was ready.

"Go!"

Prongs charged in just before Alyssa released her arrow, forcing Sledgehammer to try to evade two attacks. He failed to dodge either as the Patronus's antlers caught him and tossed him into the path of the arrow, which struck his leg. With a cry, he fell back, even more darkness bleeding out of him as the stag trotted back.

"Are we…" Alyssa whispered.

"**ENOUGH GAMES!**"

With a howl, Sledgehammer forced himself to his feet. His dirty clothes were scorched, he now walked with a pronounced limp, but his eyes blazed with unfathomable rage as he once again slammed his hammer into the ground. This time, however, the entirety of the barriers around the courtyard leapt at his command, swirling down to form a tornado of dark energy around Harry and Alyssa. "**DIE! DIE! DIE!**"

Focusing everything he had, Harry empowered his Patronus as the darkness began to collapse in on the pair, the blazing silver light holding evil back even as the strain clawed at his mind. Alyssa started to draw her bow, but she paused. "Harry," she whispered, somehow heard over the howling darkness. "When I say duck, dodge to your left."

"Wha-"

"Duck!"

Harry hadn't known this girl long, but like the troll that had made him and Ron friends with Hermione, there were some things that you couldn't suffer together without learning to trust each other. He threw himself to the left as Alyssa darted right, her hand twisting on the ornate, woman-shaped handle of her bow. An instant later, Sledgehammer burst through the darkness with a victorious cry, his hammer swinging at an angle that would have struck them both if they had indeed ducked. However, it missed, and a moment later Alyssa splashed small helping of water on him, and Harry realized that the handle of her bow was in fact her Sacred Bottle, simply shrunk down to a more manageable size. There wasn't much water, but there was enough.

Blue fire burned along Sledgehammer's form as he tripped, the shadows pausing in their relentless attack. Alyssa coolly drew back the string of her bow and pointed it at the thrashing man at her feet, the light blazing brighter.

"I told you," she snarled. "**I don't talk to strangers!**"

She released the arrow.

It slammed into the back of Sledgehammer's neck, piercing through to stick into the ground. With a howl, the darkness dispersed, leaving the pair free to go on. Sledgehammer was still twitching, but his struggles were… weak. Uncoordinated.

"Is he dead?" Harry asked.

"No. He can't die so long as May is enslaved," Alyssa said. "We should go: she's suffered long enough. It's time to let her see her parents again." Turning on her heel without another glance at her fallen foe, Alyssa walked up the steps towards the door, Harry finding himself trailing in her wake.

Even though it looked no different than before, the concert hall seemed… more peaceful, as the pair made the short trek to where May was still playing. Alyssa gently tugged on her bow, and an instant later it flashed gold and returned to its bottle form: May's father's watch falling into her other hand. Smiling faintly, Alyssa pushed the door open and led the way down the aisle and onto the stage.

As May reached her mistake, Alyssa gently opened the watch, allowing the scratchy music within to play gently. The bloody girl's head shot up to stare at the watch in awe.

"May… I saw what happened," Alyssa said tenderly, setting the watch down on the music sheet tray before sitting and wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. "I know how much pain you're in; my father's gone too, and I don't know what's happened to my mother, but I know if I keep pushing forward, I'll be reunited with them. You will be too." She gently gripped May's wrists and guided her hands back to the keys. "You said that you would play so well that your mum and dad would hear you up in Heaven. You can do it, May, I _know _you can."

Slowly, for the first time, a smile crossed May's face. "Alyssa…" she whispered, her fingers starting to move…

"**NO!**"

The door burst open, and Sledgehammer limped in. His hammer was dragging on the ground behind him weakly, and black ichor was dripping from the hole in his neck, but he doggedly dragged himself down the aisle towards May, who screamed in terror and tried to leap to her feet to flee. A savage smile crossed Sledgehammer's face as he accelerated, darkness starting to gather from the corners of the room towards the approaching monster.

"Harry," Alyssa said in a deadly sweet tone as she gently but firmly held May close to her. "Would you kindly show our intruderthe door?"

Grinning, Harry raised his wand. _"Expecto Patronum!"_ he cried, pushing his magic to its limits. The silver stag once more reformed and charged to meet Sledgehammer, catching him with its antlers as it rode out the door, which Harry closed with a flick of his wand.

"He can't hurt you, May," Alyssa said firmly. "Harry and I _won't let him._" The scratchy music reached the end of its loop and fell silent for a moment. "Now, play, May. Play your Mum's song."

The music restarted, and with a determined nod May's fingers began to move smoothly over the keyboard. As she played, the blood and wounds that covered her form began to fade, leaving unblemished skin in their wake, but Harry couldn't help but tense as the girl approached the note she had missed so many times before. Alyssa, however, seemed unconcerned: humming gently along with May's playing as she rubbed the younger girl's back. Sledgehammer was trying to break through the door again, but with an irritable jerk of his wand Harry cast a locking charm to keep him out: he would not interfere in this.

"You can do it, May," Alyssa whispered.

The pianist hit the note perfectly and at the same moment as the pocket watch. Her smile widened even further as she continued to play, the perfected song filling the air. She laughed joyfully as her skull reformed, the last of the blood drained from her hair to leave it the silky, beautiful blonde it had been before Sledgehammer. She cried, but these were tears of joy as Harry looked out to see a ghostly crowd watching, enraptured. Her greatest mistake undone, there was _nothing _May couldn't do now.

As May finished the last note, applause filled the hall, drowning out the pained cry from the other side of the door. Dazed, May allowed Alyssa to help her to her feet. "Now take a bow, you've earned it," the redhead whispered, and May obeyed.

"May…" Harry blinked: he could have sworn he heard something, but as he turned there was nothing there. As he glanced back at May and Alyssa, however, he saw them both staring at a point somewhere behind him.

"Daddy! Mummy!" May squealed, dashing across the stage and launching herself into a flying hug. _Something _caught her in midair, and she started to spin around as if she was being held up. Alyssa was crying faintly as she watched, and Harry found himself drifting over to stand next to her.

May's form was becoming more transparent as she turned to wave back at Harry and Alyssa. "Thank you, Alyssa!" she cried, her voice sounding like it was coming from far away. "Thank you, Harry!"

"Bye, May," Alyssa cried back. "Bye Mr. Norton! Mrs. Norton! Stay safe!"

"You stay safe too," another voice, a woman's, said, though Harry could barely hear it. "There is more darkness in your future, but I know you two can bring light to it!" Then, Harry felt a strange rush, and with a final wave and smile May's ghost vanished completely. A second later, another of the purple gemstones that had saved Harry's life clattered to the stage where she had hovered.

Tenderly, Alyssa walked over to pick it up. "They must have been so scared," she whispered almost to herself as she rejoined Harry. "May's parents. They must have been trying to get to her for so long…" Her smile faded into a dark frown as she glared at the door. "There's one more thing to do before we leave. If we don't finish off Sledgehammer: he'll find someone else to enslave and torment to grow strong again." Harry nodded, and the pair made their way back down the aisle and through the door.

Sledgehammer was slumped against the opposite wall, the glow of his eyes flickering weakly as he stared up at the pair. "How…" he croaked.

"Darkness flees before the light," Alyssa said coolly. Her voice was… different, lacking any of the nerves or worries that normally filled it… cold and deadly as black ice. "So it is, and so it has always been. Do you have anything to say in your defense, Robert Morris, before your judgement is passed?" Sledgehammer was silent, and Alyssa let out a sigh. "Very well. Subordinate, I sever you from your Entity, so that you may pass on to whatever fate awaits you beyond this life. Entity, I banish you to the Void." With that, she raised her Sacred Bottle and decisively splashed a helping of Holy Water onto the fallen Sledgehammer.

Two howls of pain filled the hall as golden fire blazed along the man's body. Darkness poured from Sledgehammer's mouth, his nostrils, his ears, even his eyes to fill the air above him. For an instant, Harry thought he saw a writhing shape in the darkness, but before he could begin to raise his wand it was gone, leaving only the battered, empty body of Sledgehammer behind.

Slowly, the form began to crumble into dust, starting with his extremities and working its way towards his core. For a moment, Harry looked into human eyes under the hood, a soft brown, and he saw… a faint, peaceful smile, cross the man's face before he was gone, leaving only a pile of dust behind with something gold glinting in the center.

Frowning, Alyssa leaned down to pick it up, pulling a pendant from the ash. It looked like a heart, but it was set with emeralds, and somehow Harry got the feeling that there should be… more of it. Like it was broken…

Before he could ponder further, Alyssa gasped, went ridged, and then collapsed in a dead faint.

"…Bloody hell. Why can't things just be _simple?_"


	5. A Rooder's Task

AN: Still not mine

Review Responses

Guest: I did consider having Harry do most of the heavy lifting for the early boss battles, but I also want he and Alyssa to be working together, rather than her mostly just following after him while he does the work, so I had to make them equal partners in the fight. Once I decided on that, I quickly realized that I had to buff Sledgehammer a bit, because otherwise there would have been absolutely no challenge to the fight, since Harry and Alyssa aren't restricted by… questionable controls (Seriously, why can't Alyssa _turn _while she's aiming?!).

edboy4926: Thank you

Chapter 5: A Rooder's Task

As Alyssa came too, the first thing she noticed was how _soft _her bed. This was a little odd, as while the school was well-to-do and had nice beds, the matrasses had always been a little firm. Today, however, she seemed to be sinking into the warm softness so deeply she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to force herself to get out. Humming happily, she snuggled even deeper. It was summer, it was almost her birthday, she could justify sleeping in a bit until she could forget that weird, scary dream she'd had. Eventually, her friends would drag her out to open whatever Mum sent her. Or maybe Mum'd come for a visit, then Alyssa would be able to ask where she'd been and why that strange man in the coat had said she was dead and what a Rooder… was…

Wait…

Gasping, Alyssa shot up, throwing the covers of her childhood bed back as she started around her room at home: the room in the house she'd only returned to because of the terrifying letter her mother had sent. She'd come back, then there had been the man-

"Alyssa?!"

Squealing with shock and indignation, Alyssa dragged her covers back over herself as a _boy _leapt up from the chair in the corner, brandishing a long, thin stick in his hand. A second later, her face heated up as she realized that not only was she still fully dressed in her uniform, but the boy she had been about to give the sharp side of her tongue was just Harry. Harry the wizard, who had helped her and fight Sledgehammer and oh God it was all real, wasn't it? "Harry?" she squeaked out.

"Yeah, it's me," Harry said, raising his off-hand soothingly as he lowered his wand. "It's alright, you're safe now. After you fainted I was able to get you back here. There wasn't any sign of the crazy man; so I dr- carried you to your room and locked all the doors. There hasn't been any sign of him since."

Slowly, Alyssa let the covers fall from her hands and scooted so she was sitting on her bed rather than lying in it. "I fainted?" she asked. The battle with Sledgehammer and everything that came after it was so fuzzy…

"Yeah, right after you picked up that pendant thing," Harry said, nodding to her bedside table. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Alyssa said, reaching over to grab the object Harry had indicated. It was a golden leaf shape with a large emeraldset into it, hanging on a chain… and the more she stared at it, the more she swore she knew it from somewhere…

"Where did I get this?"

There was a long silence, and Alyssa glanced up to see Harry staring incredulously at her. "You… don't remember?" he asked.

Alyssa shook her head. "No," she said, running a finger gently along the pendant as she tried to remember where she'd seen it before. "The last thing I remember was freeing May… her mother and father coming from Heaven to get her…"

"… So the bit where you purged Sledgehammer's gone?"

Alyssa blinked. She remembered just how _angry _she'd been with the evil, evil man who'd killed May, almost killed Harry, tried to kill Alyssa, so she would have thought she'd remember getting rid of him once and for all, but as she tried to remember all she could dredge up was a sense of cold but righteous fury. "No, I don't," she whispered. "I don't remember anything after May."

Harry hissed. "That's not good," he muttered. "You weren't acting like you either, so that's _really _not good."

"Why not?" Alyssa asked warily.

"A few years ago, my friend's little sister got possessed by Voldemort, and she couldn't remember what she was doing when he was in control." He started taking a step forward, but seemed to think better of it as he slumped back on the chair's arm. "Are there any other gaps in your memory?"

Alyssa blinked, wondering again just what Harry had been _doing _with his life that he'd had to deal with possession as a _child_. Maybe it was a wizard thing. "I don't think so," she said, running over the day in her mind. Yes, everything fit together, if you took all the madness at face value. Receiving her mother's letter, the desperate trip home, meeting Harry, the man looming over her…

"Alright," Harry said. "Alright, so it's not too bad yet, but we need to figure out how to stop it from happening again."

… Did they, though? From what Harry was saying, the only thing her body had done when it was out of her control was destroy Sledgehammer, and that could only be considered a good thing, right? Besides, there had been other times when she'd seemed to know things she couldn't know: how to use the Holy Water, how to summon the bow that had defeated Sledgehammer… her instincts told her it was all connected. "I don't think it's a bad thing," she said carefully. "I think… I think whatever it is is trying to help, trying to keep me alive."

Harry frowned, but before he could comment, both teens jumped at a sharp tapping coming from the curtained window. "What's that?" Alyssa squeaked.

Harry blinked before a slow smile crossed his face. "No way…" he whispered, rising and striding over to the window. Alyssa hopped up to follow, grabbing the Sacred Bottle from the bedside and clutching it to her chest. Harry threw back the curtains, and for a moment Alyssa thought there was nobody there, until she saw something white and feathery move on the windowsill.

"Hedwig!" Harry said happily, pressing his fingers against the window as the beautiful snowy owl pecked at the window again, hooting in irritation. "How'd you get here?!"

"You know this bird?" Alyssa asked.

"Yeah, she's my messenger owl," Harry said. "But how'd you find me here? And so fast, you should've still been delivering letters!" The owl gave Harry a piercing look before letting out another hoot and pecking at the window again, clearly trying to get in. "Sorry, Hedwig, the window's locked," Harry said. "I can't open it." As if to prove it, he grabbed the latch and tried to pull, only for it to refuse to budge, just as the front door had.

"Have you tried magic yet?" Alyssa asked as Hedwig gave an annoyed screech.

Harry shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm still in school; an under-aged wizard. We're not allowed to use magic outside of school: I've already gotten one official warning, and I only got out of another one because everyone was so happy I was alive they overlooked it." Shaking his head, he turned back to Hedwig. "Look, Alyssa and I are locked in here, but I might be able to get you something, wait a mo." Darting over to the trunk he'd arrived with. Harry threw it open and started digging through, nearly tossing several books and nick-nacks out. Just as Alyssa was about to ask what he wanted, he let out a triumphant cry and yanked out a roll of parchment and an honest-to-God feather quill with ink. "What's the address of this place?" he asked as he hurried back to the table.

"What?" Alyssa asked.

"The address?" Harry asked again, scribbling on the roll of parchment. "If we can get a message to my friend Ron's family, they can come get us. Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry; he'll be able to sort everything out."

"But-" Alyssa shook her head and rattled off the address. As soon as he was done, Harry hurriedly folded his letter and turned back to the owl. "We can't leave, Hedwig, but I saw a mail slot in the front door: head down there and I'll poke this out. Take it to Ron as fast as you can." The owl bobbed her head in what could only be a nod before pushing away from the windowsill and gliding out of sight.

Taking a breath, Alyssa gripped her bottle tightly as she followed Harry. For all that she was glad there was now a plan to get out of here… the thought of running into that dark-clothed man still scared her. However, she had to be brave: that was the only way she'd have a chance of reuniting with Mum.

Thankfully, however, it seemed that the man was content to remain hidden, as the two teens made it down the stairs and too the front door without incident. Harry poked the letter out the mail slot, which thankfully had not been sealed, and a moment later it was tugged out of his hand. "Go, Hedwig," he said. "Please hurry."

Faintly, Alyssa heard a hoot, followed by the flapping of large wings. Dashing into the dining room, Alyssa caught only a faint glimpse of white feathers fading into the overcast sky before the owl was gone. "I hope she'll be okay…" she said.

"She will," Harry said. "Hedwig's never let me down before, and she won't now." He settled against the table, careful to not turn his back on the door as he did. "So, now what? We could just wait for Mr. Weasley to come sort everything out…"

Slowly, Alyssa shook her head. While it was tempting to believe that someone else would be able to solve all her problems, her instinct was that it was going to be harder than that, and her instincts had not led her wrong in this place yet. "I think we should take a look around," she said. "That man's still here, so Mum could be too."

Harry nodded. "Alright," he said, and Alyssa got the feeling that he was actually satisfied to not just be sitting around waiting to be rescued. "We've checked your Mum's room, and all we found was the teleporter which I'm not keen to try again."

Sinking into one of the chairs, Alyssa found herself turning the clover leaf pendant over and over in her hands, staring at it as if it would give her all the answers. It was truly a beautiful thing, even missing three of its pieces and not… hanging…

Alyssa leapt to her feet: she _did _know this pendant! "Mum," she said. "This is Mum's! She always wore it! Well… it and the rest of it…"

Harry grimaced. "That's not good," he said. "I'm guessing she wouldn't give it up willingly?"

Alyssa shook her head. "Never. She says it's been in our family for generations, passed down mother to daughter. She said I'd wear it someday…"

"…Could it be magical?" Harry asked. "I mean, maybe it's connected to the bottle, to the whole Rooder thing."

Alyssa hissed in frustration; she didn't know. She didn't even know what a Rooder was, but something within her said that she _should, _that it was vitally important. "…I think we should go to my grandfather's study," she said after a second. "He has all kinds of books down there… if there's any information about Rooders in the house, it'll be there."

For some reason, Harry chuckled slightly. "If you think some books'll help, we can go for it," he said.

"And here I thought wizards liked books," Alyssa teased as she got up and left the room, leading the way under the stairs towards her grandfather's study. Alyssa had been in it many times; but then her grandfather had vanished and Alyssa herself had been sent away. She wondered if her mother had changed anything.

She paused briefly at the door: what if it was locked. Harry would be able to open it, but she didn't want to get him in trouble for her sake. However, as Harry started to shift behind her, she gathered herself and turned the doorknob. Thankfully, it was unlocked, so she and Harry stepped in.

The first thing Alyssa noticed was that her mother didn't seem to have even set foot in this room: there was a visible layer of dust over everything. The books were still _everywhere, _filling the shelves and stacked on the floor; the weird masks that her grandfather had insisted on hanging up despite Alyssa thinking they were creepy were still on the walls. Everything seemed to be just as she remembered it.

"Nice place," Harry said, a note of sarcasm leaking through as he brushed away some cobwebs that fell in his face. Alyssa threw him a mock dirty look before taking a closer look around: hopefully there was something out of place, something that would give her a clue…

There was a clue, though it took her an embarrassingly long time to see it. While everything else had a layer of dust, there was a book sitting on the desk itself that was clean. It was a thick, heavy book with old fashioned writing so ornate that it was nearly impossible to tell what the title was. Carefully opening it, Alyssa peered at the front page. The writing was archaic and hard to read, but eventually she was able to figure it out.

"The… Book… of Entities?" she said.

"Entities?" Harry said, hurrying over from the mask he'd been poking at. "That's what Sledgehammer said he was connected too. Your possessed self also mentioned something about severing him from his Entity."

Frowning, Alyssa flipped a few more pages to the introduction. The writing was not much more clear, but after a few moments she was able to follow it.

_Entities are believed to have existed in the human realm since times immemorial, though the first records of their existence come from the late Roman Republic. Immortal and ethereal beings of cruelty and malevolence, these spirits thankfully cannot do much damage in the physical world on their own. However, they are capable of possessing humans, amplifying their natural evil to a level of ruthlessness and cruelty scarcely imaginable. These possessed humans invariably commit acts of torture and murder, not only to please their dark masters but to feed on their victims' souls, gaining terrible power. _

_ Human authorities will, of course, attempt to punish the evil-doer, however in so doing they are attacking the symptom rather than the cause. Bound to the will of an invisible spirit, a possessed human's inevitable demise is not the end of their reign of terror; just the next step. After bodily death, if the possessed has gained enough power through the blood and souls of their victims, they will merge with the Entity that chose them, creating a foul creature known as a Subordinate. With their newfound power, the Subordinate will create a world of their own. Then, they will choose another victim that strikes their fancy, murder them, and draw them into this new world in order to feed eternally on their suffering. New victims will be drawn in from time to time to provide some sustenance, but their primary victim remains the focus of their cruelty unless a more appealing target should present themselves. Only a Rooder is able to stop a Subordinate in this state._

_ Little is known about the possession process, and much of what is seems contradictory. Some evidence and scholars claim that an Entity can only attach themselves one who is naturally evil and willing to committee horrific acts in its name, while others say that any human, be they noble or vile, is at risk of falling into an Entity's web. Whatever the truth is, what is known is that so long as Entities and their Subordinates have sway in this world, mankind's suffering will continue._

The two teens stared at each other for a long few seconds. "Well," Alyssa said. "That's… something."

"That's something all right," Harry said. "Does the book say anything about what exactly a Rooder is?"

"Let's find out," Alyssa said, turning a few more pages. However, the book seemed to be going into more detail about Entities, so with a groan she opened the book to the back, hoping that there would be a functional index in this ancient tome. They were in luck; there was indeed an index, and after a minute of searching she found the word she was looking for and flipped back to the proper page.

_While evidence shows that Entities have existed since the beginnings of the human race, Rooders are a much more recent development, though this could simply be them only choosing to reveal themselves later than their enemies. Often described as the equal-but-opposite of a Subordinate, Rooders stand opposed to the Entities and their slaves. Where Subordinates are empowered by hatred, terror and despair, Rooders take strength from love, courage and hope, and represent humanity's best defense against the Entities and their slaves._

_ A Rooder is invariably a young human female, aged between fifteen and twenty years, who has magical powers meant to fight and destroy Subordinates. All Rooders carry a Sacred Bottle: an ancient, enchanted vessel able to create Holy Water that is anathema to Subordinates, allowing them to combat their foe. They alone can enter a Subordinate's domain to free the enslaved soul that fuels the Subordinate by method of finding a "sentimental item," and returning it to the victim. These sentimental items are always possible to acquire, no matter how a Subordinate may try to lock it away, and once found the Rooder can battle the Subordinate and their Entity master directly: manifesting some weapon of their choosing for the final confrontation. _

_ As to how Rooders get their power, it is unknown. Rooders are born, not trained, and the title is passed though families, mother to daughter. However, paradoxically, a Rooder's power is greatest when they first receive them, fading over the years until they are unable to fight any longer. If the Rooders themselves know why this is, they choose not to say, but some scholars claim that there must be something behind them: a sort of "Rooder Spirit," that is the opposite of Entities. There is some evidence to support this, as Rooders have been shown to have keen instincts and an ability to know things they could not possibly know on their own, though it is possible this is simply another manifestation of their magical powers. If these noble spirits do exist, they seem to be in no hurry to show themselves._

_ Whatever the truth is, it is known that a newly-minted Rooder has power enough to defeat even veteran Subordinates. However, in this strength is hidden the Rooders' greatest weakness: they are at their strongest when they have the least experience. This can leave young Rooders vulnerable to particularly wily Subordinates and older at risk of being overwhelmed by stronger Subordinates. Either way, it is vital that Rooders never allow themselves to be taken alive, as- _The page ended, and as Alyssa's eyes tried to find the rest of that alarming sentence, all she saw was something about Sigil Stones.

"There's a page missing," Harry murmured, pointing out the remnants of a torn page. "Someone didn't want you to read the rest of this."

Alyssa frowned. "But then why would this book be here then?" she asked. "My guess is that man was here, tore this page out, but why wouldn't he just take the whole book and leave us with nothing?"

Harry shrugged. "Don't ask me why evil nutters do what they do," he said. "So, we know a bit more now, what's our next move?"

The pair thought in silence for a few seconds; while interesting nothing they'd learned really brought them any closer to finding Mum. Without thinking about it, Alyssa closed the book, only to let out a short scream as she saw what was hiding beneath it.

The first thing she noticed was an old newspaper, but what really drew her eye was the photo on top of it. In the picture was her mother, laying on the ground as if asleep… or unconscious. Hanging from the top of the frame in a barely-visible hand was the four-leaf clover pendant, and written on the bottom margin was a short sentence: "_Unite the four to end the game."_

"Mum…" Alyssa whispered, snatching up the picture as if she could reach through it and rescue her mother on the spot.

"Unite the four…" Harry murmured. "I guess that means the four leaves of the pendant." He grimaced. "And since we found the first one on Sledgehammer, that means we'll have to face three more like him."

Alyssa had barely heard him, too busy staring at the picture, looking for any clue as to where it had been taken. It was inside somewhere, she could see the stone floor, and from the lighting it seemed to be pretty dark. She could faintly see a thin red line on her mother's forehead; that could only be blood, coming from some cut under her hair…

"Alyssa?"

Slowly, rage swelled in Alyssa. How many times had her mother protected her as a child? Comforted her, guided her, helped her in every way. Now she was in danger, and Alyssa could only assume it was as a way for that horrible man to get at Alyssa herself: he'd shown no interest in her mother. Mum was in danger because of Alyssa.

Was she just going to _stand for that?!_

"Let's go," she snarled. "Let's go find them. All of them, and purge them to get Mum back."

Harry nodded. "Alright," he said, picking up the newspaper. "When you fainted after Sledgehammer, a portal like the first one brought us back to that room upstairs, off your mother's room. There was some sort of big magic circle in there, with a newspaper clipping about Sledgehammer at the center. My guess is that somehow tells the portal where to go, and that this is the next Subordinate." He paused. "You do realize that we're doing exactly what that man wants, for whatever reason."

"I don't care," Alyssa said coolly. "If it brings me closer to finding my mother, then I don't care if I'm doing what he wants." Spinning on her heel, she led the way out of her grandfather's study, followed by Harry.

* * *

Trailing after the irate redhead, Harry wondered if this was how Ron and Hermione felt when he went off on one of his missions. It was an odd feeling: a mixture of pride at Alyssa's decisiveness and drive and concern that she was playing right into the dark wizard's hands. However, he was not going to try and get in her way: this was clearly as important to her as going after the Philosopher's Stone or into the Chamber of Secrets had been for him, maybe even more-so. No, he was going to do everything he could to help and support her, just as his friends would do for him.

As the pair moved through the house back to Alyssa's mother's room, Harry unfolded the newspaper and studied it.

_Serial Killer Meets Grisly End!_

_ May 11, 1962_

_ West Sussex_

_ John Haigh, the serial killer on the run since early last year, died last night at a metal plating works. Haigh, also known as the Corroder, was the primary suspect in a series of cold-blooded murders of pensioners around the country. The victims' bodies were placed in containers of sulfuric acid after their murders in an attempt to hide the evidence._

_ The acid, however, was Haigh's undoing, as police discovered that it was stolen and put factories and other supplies of the acid under surveillance. Haigh was spotted breaking into a plating factory in Horsham, and while resisting arrest a struggle ensued. The suspect lost his balance and fell from a platform into a vat of acid; ironically meeting the same end as his victims._

'And doesn't that sound pleasant,' Harry thought sourly as Alyssa walked into the magic room.

It looked just as Harry remembered: a strange, thick red carpet woven with an incredibly complex series of circles, symbols and runes. Harry wondered if Hermione would have been able to read it if she was here: she had taken Arithmancy and Ancient Runes after all. However, she wasn't here, and all he and Alyssa could hope was that the circle worked in the way they imagined.

"What's all this stuff?" Alyssa asked, gesturing around at the shelves lining the walls, all loaded with books, bottles, and other nick-nacks.

"Rooder stuff, I guess," Harry said. "I didn't spend too long looking. You were still out cold; I figured it'd be best if we got somewhere safe sooner rather than later."

Frowning, Alyssa moved to one of the shelves, where Harry realized a book was missing. "This was taken from here," she murmured, holding up the book she'd carried from her grandfather's study. Indeed, it looked like an exact match for the ones already on that shelf. "That man was in here."

"I kind of figured that," Harry said, gesturing to the circle. "As I said, there was a newspaper clipping about Sledgehammer here: it had to have gotten there somehow."

Alyssa nodded distractedly, putting the book back before circling around the room, studying the various objects. After a few seconds, she let out a cry of triumph and opened a small, ornate golden box. "Harry! More of those sigil stones!" she said, pulling out three of the glowing pink-purple gemstones that had saved Harry's life.

"Great," Harry said. The pair hunted for a few more minutes, looking for anything else useful. Alyssa found a sling for her Sacred Bottle, allowing it to hang from her shoulder when she wasn't holding it. Harry, meanwhile, spotted a quartet of small gold and crystal vials sitting on a shelf that seemed to be made in the same way as the Sacred Bottle. However, when they filled one up from the pitcher of water sitting in the corner, it didn't seem to do anything.

"It's got to have some use," Alyssa said, frowning at the distinctly ordinary water in the vial. "Mum wouldn't have kept it here if it didn't do something."

Looking around, Harry wished that Alyssa's mother had thought to label her Subordinate-fighting gear, or at least told Alyssa about it before vanishing. He knew it was unfair to think that, she clearly hadn't planned on being kidnapped by a murderous lunatic, but it sure would have been helpful! "Well, aside from the potions, they seem to be the only immediately useful things here, and I don't think it's a good idea to just start drinking potions to see what they do."

Alyssa nodded. "Right. Let's just hold onto these for now, maybe I'll get some inspiration as to what they're for if it becomes meaningful."

Finally, it was time. "So the Sledgehammer paper was right here," Harry said, kicking the center of the circle.

"Alright," Alyssa said. "Put the new one down and I'll use the Holy Water: that's what activated it last time. Are you ready?" Harry nodded, put the paper down, and backed up a few steps. Taking a deep breath, Alyssa opened her Sacred Bottle and splashed a fine mist into the air. Just like last time, it coalesced into a silvery portal. With one last nod to each other, Harry and Alyssa touched it at the same time and were pulled through into the Subordinate's domain.

The first thing Harry felt was a wet chill: wherever they were, it was drizzling. The entire place looked miserable. Old, shabby-looking buildings surrounding the tiny park he and Alyssa had landed in, though a tall wooden fence blocked most exits. There were trees, but they were all small, dead, scraggly things reaching into the dark sky like clawed hands. Harry supposed the whole place would look nicer in the day, or maybe the real thing had been more pleasant, and all of this had just been corrupted by the Subordinate. Just about the only part of the park that still looked somewhat happy was the gurgling fountain at the center, surrounded by finely carved stone benches.

"So, who do you think we're looking for?" Alyssa asked as she made her way to the fountain to refill her bottle. "I mean, last time we had May's music to guide us, but I didn't hear anything this time."

Harry shrugged. "Well, the paper said that this Subordinate targeted pensioners in life, so I guess if we find a place where old people live, we'll be on the right track." The pair looked around the area as if hoping for some sort of sign that would point them in the right direction, but after a few seconds they were forced to admit that they'd have to find their own way. Harry shivered slightly, wishing he'd thought to grab his school cloak rather than an old jacket of Dudley's. While they were about the same size, one was significantly more worn than the other.

Alyssa must have noticed, as she nodded to a building just outside the park. "There's some shelter there: I doubt there's anyone around to complain. Nobody but the ghosts, at any rate." Harry nodded, and the pair made their way over.

Before they reached it, however, Alyssa glanced down the road and gasped. "Oh, no…" she whispered. Turning to see what she'd seen, Harry winced at the sight of a wrecked car blocking the entrance of an alleyway. Floating nearby was a ghost, one that was noticeably smaller than the others Harry'd seen.

"Well," he said with a sigh. "We should put them at ease." Alyssa nodded, and the pair made their way over.

"My teddy…" a faint, female whimper drifted on the wind. "My teddy…"

"She probably died in the car wreck," Harry said as the pair paused. "Hopefully her teddy bear's nearby. I'll distract her, you find it." Alyssa nodded, and Harry stepped forward. As always, the ghost's baleful gaze locked onto him, and with a keening cry she lunged forward, her arms outstretched.

She was a little faster than the other ghosts Harry had seen, but he was ready and dodged to the side, leading the ghost of a merry chase away from the car. In the background, Harry saw Alyssa hurry over to dig through the wreck, but most of his attention was on keeping out of the ghost's reach. He had planned to test his Patronus on the next ghost he and Alyssa had run across, but somehow it just seemed… wrong, to do it to a child. Instead, he just dodged back and forward, keeping the girl's eyes on him so that Alyssa could focus.

Finally, after a few minutes, Alyssa gave a small cry of triumph and pulled something from the wreckage. As she hurried over, the ghost froze, her eyes locked on the dirty, torn-looking teddy bear in Alyssa's hands.

"I have found what has been lost," the Rooder said tenderly. "Now I return it to you, so that you may pass on in peace." With that said, she tucked the teddy into the ghost's arms and sprinkled holy water onto her.

Once again, the ghost began to glow with a bright light, slowly fading from existence. However, just before she disappeared, she spoke again.

"Mister Rand… save Mister Rand…"

Then, she was gone.

"Mr. Rand," Harry said. "Who do you think that is?"

"Probably this Subordinate's primary victim," Alyssa said, picking up the Sigil Stone and offering it to Harry. Harry waved it off: thanks to the stash they'd found in her mother's room, both he and Alyssa had three, and she was still the primary target of the Subordinates. Alyssa frowned, but didn't argue as she put it in her pocket. "I found a note with the teddy; it was wishing the girl happy birthday from a Mr. Rand. I think… no, I _know _that this is here for a reason."

"Great," Harry said. "So, where's this Mr. Rand?"

Alyssa flushed. "I… I'm still working on that bit." Harry couldn't help but chuckle, causing Alyssa's cheeks to puff up. "I don't hear any ideas out of you! Do you have any spells that could tell us where someone is!"

"I'm sure there is a spell for it, but sadly I don't know it," Harry said. "Hermione probably does, but sadly she's not here."

For some reason, Alyssa's frown deepened a bit. "You talk about this Hermione a lot," she said. "Is she your girlfriend?"

For a moment, Harry's mind went blank. Hermione? Girlfriend? The thought was just so absurd he almost couldn't process it. He'd known her since he was eleven, she was one of his first and best friends, but he didn't have the same strange feelings about her as he got about the extremely-pretty Cho Chang. Even trying to imagine it just made him feel... weird.

Finally, he realized that Alyssa was looking at him expectantly, and he shook his head rapidly. "No, no!" he said. "She's my friend, same as Ron. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere at Hogwarts if it wasn't for them: they got us through most of the protections of the Philosopher's Stone, Hermione figured out there was a basilisk in the Chamber…"

"A _basilisk!?_" Alyssa gasped. "Aren't those the giant snakes that kill people by looking at them?!"

"Yeah," Harry said, slightly curious that Alyssa had heard of them.

"I thought you said you were a _student! _What on Earth is _wrong _with your school!?"

"Nothing!" Harry said defensively. "Hogwarts is the best place in the world! It's my home!"

Alyssa's hands clenched. "But it sounds so awful, with possessions and monsters and defenses all over the place! Aren't the teachers supposed to keep you safe?"

"It's better than the Dursleys'," Harry snapped. "At least I have people that care about me at Hogwarts!" Spinning on his heel, he started walking in the opposite direction of the crashed car. "Let's assume that the car was coming from this Mr. Rand's place: if we go that way hopefully we'll find it."

"But-"

"Come on, don't you want to find your mum? Save the ghosts trapped in here?" Harry said.

Alyssa hurried to catch up to him, and for a moment he thought she was going to keep arguing. However, as he turned to look defiantly at her, she nodded, a strange mix of hurt and sympathy in her eyes that made Harry's insides do a strange flip. "Right…" she said gently. "Yes, that sounds about right. Thank you for reminding me." Harry was a bit confused by the sudden change in tone, but he decided that he didn't want to fight with Alyssa, so he let everything drop and led the way down the street. Then the next. Then the next, led only by vague hunches and a desire to keep moving in some direction.

Finally, Alyssa grabbed Harry's shoulder and pointed. "Isn't that one of those sigils?" she asked. Peering down the side-street Alyssa was pointing too, Harry realized that she was right: barely visible through the gloom and drizzle, there was the faint glow of a sigil on one of the doors. The house it led into didn't look any different from the ones surrounding it, it had the same weathered brickwork and slightly-dilapidated appearance, but it was the first sign of anything being amiss, so it was their best bet.

"Good job," Harry said. "Come on, we'll be able to get out of this weather at least!" Alyssa giggled slightly as she led the way over and splashed some holy water onto the sigil, breaking it and allowing the pair to enter and take in their surroundings.

The first thing Harry noticed was how small this place was. They stood at the beginning of a single hall which led to a turn. There was a door to their left, unmarked by a sigil but closed tight. Other than that, there was almost nothing. No paintings on the wall, no decorative curtain, only a small umbrella stand and coat hanger right next to the door. The good news was that there were not any of the obvious signs of a struggle that the Norton Taylor had.

"Alright," Alyssa said after she used a handkerchief to rub some of the moisture out of her hair. "We should check that room first: this place gives me the creeps, and I don't want to have something pop up behind-"

_ "Why are you here?! Have you not done enough!?"_

Both teens jumped as the sound of shouts and a loud bell came from down the hall, followed by the sound of footsteps. Hurrying to the corner, Harry peeked down the hall to see a man approaching, using a cane to find his way as his other hand rang the bell. He looked a lot younger than Harry had expected, maybe in his mid-thirties, but from the way he was lurching it was clear he was not well.

"Mr. Rand?" Alyssa called softly, stepping past Harry to stand in the center of the hall.

"_Curse you! Leave me be!_" Mr. Rand cried, waving his stick as he continued to advance. "_I… I can't see… Mother! Where are you?!_"

"Come on," Harry said, grabbing Alyssa's shoulder and trying to pull her back a few steps. "I don't think this one's friendly."

"But he's the one we're looking for, the one we have to save," Alyssa said, though she did look a little uncomfortable. "We can't just-"

"_LEAVE ME BE!_" Alyssa and Harry winced as Mr. Rand roared, a burst of force somehow knocking them back. "_I have to find Mother! Mother, where are you? What has he done to you?! Where is she!?_"

As the man loomed over them, Harry realized that he was blind, but not naturally. Blood was leaking from the empty remnants of his eye sockets, and there were burn marks of some sort on his face and hands. Alyssa waved her bottle, splashing a wave of holy water over Mr. Rand. The ghost stumbled, cursing, but the blue flames that burned around most ghosts failed to appear. A second later he lunged forward again, shouting. Alyssa and Harry didn't waste any more time before dashed back out the door and onto the street.

The pair listened for a few seconds as the sound of Mr. Rand's bell faded. Finally, Harry let out the breath he was holding. "What was wrong with him?" he asked. "May wasn't anything like that."

"But most of the ghosts are," Alyssa said, her eyes distant. "Maybe… maybe ghosts get… stuck, in one emotion. May… she was upset… distraught even, but not angry." She grimaced. "If he's going to be an obstacle, that does make things harder. And we still haven't seen the Subordinate anywhere."

Harry shook his head. "I'm sure he'll show up soon," he said.

"True. I wish it wasn't, but that's true." The pair stood in silence for a few seconds before Alyssa sighed. "So, what's our plan? The holy water doesn't seem to be as effective against him for some reason."

Harry pondered for a few seconds before speaking. "We could do what we normally do with angry ghosts: I lead him around while you find what we need,"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Alyssa said. "Remember, he is still the main ghost we have to save to defeat the Subordinate: his Sentimental Item will be well hidden. At best, you'd be playing hide and seek for ages while I try to find it, at worse we get split up when the Subordinate shows himself and he picks us off. We're symbiotic, remember, we need to stick together."

Biting back a chuckle, Harry nodded. "True, but we have to get past him somehow: even blind those halls are too narrow. How about this: I lure him into one of the side rooms; that'll let you get past. I've snuck around a lot at school, so I'll give him the slip and catch up with you."

"That could work," Alyssa said thoughtfully. "But that will leave us cut off from the exit."

"Upper floor," Harry said, pointing. "I know a spell that'll slow our fall, so if we have to we can jump safely."

"Alright, I'm convinced," Alyssa said. "Be careful, Harry."

"Right," Harry said before leading the way back into the building. As Alyssa hung back by the door, Harry stepped forward, gesturing with his wand to the nearest door. "_Alohamora,_" he said clearly, hoping that Mr. Rand hadn't gone too far.

A moment later, the sound of the ringing bell came from down the hall. "_I thought you were gone!_" the ghost yelled. "_Leave! Leave me to my torment!_"

"We can't do that, Mr. Rand," Harry called back, hurrying over to the door and opening it onto what looked like a mix of dining room and kitchen. "We're here to help you. We're here to stop the one who did this to you."

"_Foolish child!_" Mr. Rand roared, rounding the corner with bell ringing and cane waving. "_Leave! Leave with your life!_" Harry nodded to Alyssa as he backed into the room, followed by the furious ghost. The girl nodded back, waiting a few more seconds before creeping forward past the ghost, down the hallway.

Harry, meanwhile, moved further into the dining room, carefully making his footsteps audible as he avoided the table, which he noticed had been set for two. "We've faced things like the man who did this to you before, Mr. Rand," he tried again, not really expecting success but needing to buy time.

The tormented ghost roared as he lunged forward, his rage leading the way as an invisible shove that nearly bowled Harry over. The wizard was able to keep his feet, however, and moved away as quickly and quietly as he could. Thankfully, the ghost truly was blind, as he continued to swing his cane wildly where Harry had been. Stepping carefully, Harry slipped around the table and back out the door.

Alyssa hadn't gone far, still peeking worriedly around the corner. Harry raised an eyebrow, causing her to flush slightly. Neither spoke, however, as they crept down the hall Mr. Rand had come from, leaving the howling ghost in their wake.

"That'll attract the Subordinate for sure," Alyssa whispered.

"Probably, but this is our best bet," Harry hissed back. "Now come on, let's go, before he comes back!"

The pair snuck further down the hall. The first thing they found as they turned the corner was a fork: turning right led down a short corridor with a sigil-blocked door at the end and another along the wall, while the other led to a flight of stairs.

"Come on, let's follow the sigils," Alyssa said. "Make a noise by the stairs, that should buy us some time." The sound of the door to the dining room slamming open silenced any argument Harry might have had, and as the pair hurried towards the sigil he gestured with his wand, causing one of the stairs to creak loudly.

"_Intruders! Get out! GET OUT!_"

Backing up, Harry barely avoided Mr. Rand's swinging cane as he dashed past, his bell ringing wildly as he thundered up the stairs. Alyssa, bless her, had gotten the sigil taken care of, allowing the pair to hurry back out into the drizzle.

What might have been a full yard in a more upscale home turned out to be just a small, walled-in courtyard. Two doors led into what looked like small sheds, one on either side. One was marked with a black sigil.

"Well, we're on the right track," Alyssa said softly, moving the carefully open the other door, only to close it immediately with a disgusted expression. "Outhouse," she said simply to Harry's questioning look.

The pair of them then turned their attention to the black sigil. "So we need something special to get through here," Harry said. "Wonder what it might be."

"Something that belongs," Alyssa murmured, staring intently at the sigil for a few seconds before sighing. "Unfortunately, that's all I can guess at the moment. We should go: we still have a few places to check inside."

Creeping back to the door, the pair listened intently for the sound of Mr. Rand's bell. For the moment, it still seemed to be upstairs, so they turned to the last door on the ground floor. Pushing it open, they found a small sitting room. It was remarkably ordinary, no sign of any struggle or trouble at all, save for an abandoned cup of tea.

"This is the right place, isn't it?" Harry asked after the two had thoroughly searched the room, finding no hidden clues.

"It is," Alyssa said. "Not only is Mr. Rand clearly more than most ghosts, but there's one of those black sigils: this place _has _to be important!" She frowned. "Remember what the book said: there is always a path. There must be something upstairs."

"Right," Harry said. "I'll lure Mr. Rand back towards the kitchen, you-"

"_FOUND YOU!_"

Harry and Alyssa both jumped as the door burst open and Mr. Rand's ghost stormed in. "_Thought you could sneak around my house without me knowing!? Fools, you will die if you stay! Get out! Get out!_"

"Mr. Rand!" Alyssa cried as she darted to the side. "Mr. Rand, please be reasonable! We can help you, I can help you, if you just tell me what's wrong!"

"_Nobody can help me!" _Mr. Rand howled, waving his stick like a club as he rang his bell wildly. _ I can still feel it! The pain, the burning _pain! _Mother, oh her screams, I hear them! I hear them in every moment and I can't find her!_"

"What happened?" Harry shouted, ducking a wild swing as he clambered away, his wand pointed warily. "What happened to you?"

"_Flee! Flee before He comes! Flee!_"

Harry grunted as he mistimed a dodge, the stick slamming into his side and knocking him into the wall "Harry!" Alyssa wailed, momentarily forgetting herself as she hurried over to help, only to be grabbed by Mr. Rand.

"_He is coming! Run, you fools! Run!_"

"Who! Who is coming?" Alyssa asked, trying to wrench her arm out of Mr. Rand's grasp.

"_Relashio!_" Harry hissed, and Mr. Rand stumbled back with a cry as his hand jerked open of its own accord, allowing Alyssa to dash to Harry's side. "We can help you, if you just talk to us!" Harry snapped, moving towards the door while keeping his wand on Mr. Rand. "We can protect you!"

"_Get out! Get out!_"

"There's nothing we can do for him, Harry," Alyssa whispered. "He's too far gone: without his Sentimental Item we'll never get through. Come on, let's go." Raising her voice, she spoke to Mr. Rand. "Alright, alright, we're going," she said. "We're leaving now. Just lower the stick, and we'll go."

Mr. Rand, breathing heavily, stomped after them, but slowly enough that they could keep ahead of him. "_Don't come back!_" he snarled, still ringing his infernal bell.

As Alyssa led Harry into the corridor, she tapped his shoulder and pointed towards the stairs. "Go," she mouthed, making her footsteps louder as she went. Harry nodded, quieting his own steps as he slipped forward, his eyes on Mr. Rand to see if he would notice.

Thankfully, the ghost truly was blind, as his slightly gaze remained locked on Alyssa. "We're sorry for bothering you," she said carefully, allowing herself to be herded down the hall. "You said you were looking for your mother-"

"_Mother? Have you seen her?_" Mr. Rand asked, lowering his cane for a moment. Harry paused just as he reached the stairs, wondering if Alyssa had somehow managed to calm the nutty ghost down. A second later, however, Mr. Rand raised his cane again, howling. "_What have you done with her you monster! What have you done to us!_"

'Does he think we're the Subordinate?' Harry thought as he crept up the stairs, listening warily to Alyssa's fading apologies as she retreated. 'Now, what's… up… here…'

It turned out that the upstairs was one medium-sized room, with what looked like two beds with curtains on either side, a desk with several small bookshelves on either side of it, and a few chairs. These chairs, however, were all tipped over, one was broken, and there was a clear bloodstain on the ground.

"Looks like this is where the murder happened," Harry muttered to himself as he hurried to the window, which was already open. Alyssa seemed to be alright, looking worriedly up at him. When she saw him, she gave a relieved smile and a wave. "Stay there a moment," Harry called softly. "I'll find you a way up."

Looking around, he didn't immediately see any rope, but thankfully he had a way around that. "_Linteum funis,_" he muttered, making a spinning motion with his wand as he pointed at the bedsheets of the nearer bed. It wasn't perfect; the resulting rope was still the same dirty, off-white color as she sheets and was slightly uneven, but since Professor McGonagall wasn't grading him he was more concerned with whether or not it would work. Carefully tying the rope to the bed's leg, he tossed it out for Alyssa.

It took the girl a few minutes to work her way up, and when Harry helped her in, she was panting. "When I get back to school," she gasped, slumping down on the bed. "I am going to work much harder in PE. When Mrs. Taylor said it could save my life, I didn't think she was being serious!" Finally, she looked around, gasping slightly at the bloodstain. "Oh no…"

"I guess this is the place," Harry said. "We should hurry; Mr. Rand could come up at any time, and even if he doesn't the Subordinate could be nearby." Alyssa nodded, and the pair quickly began to turn the room upside-down, looking for any clues.

It was Alyssa who found something. "Harry, look," she said as she stood up from looking under the bed. "This camera… I sense something off about it. Like it doesn't really belong here."

It was a very nice camera, though clearly damaged with a cracked lens, torn strap and open back. Frowning, Harry moved to stand beside Alyssa. "Was there anything else with it?" he asked.

"I didn't see anything, but it was really dark down there. Maybe you could take a look?" Alyssa said, still peering at the camera. Kneeling down, Harry cast Lumos, and indeed there was a notebook of some sort, further under the bed. It took him a few seconds to get it out, but finally he was able to open it up.

"Rand Murder Story," he read off the last filled-in page, struggling a bit with the clearly rushed notes. "No suspects, scene cleared out. One body; two people living in home. Missing person, police stumped. Mention of sewer plant. Go-" He shook his head. "There's some blood on the page: I don't think whoever wrote this stopped because he'd had an epiphany."

"Very clever, boy!"

Harry and Alyssa jerked as the door slammed open behind them, and a massive man burst in. Some of his bulk came from the large, thick coat and work overalls he wore, both so badly stained that Harry couldn't even begin to tell what color it had originally been. On his feet were heavy work boots that Harry could barely believe he and Alyssa hadn't heard stomping up the stairs. His hands were clad in similarly thick protective gloves, and his face was protected by a gas mask. The only flesh Harry could see was the top of his bald head. In his hand was what looked like a shower's spray nozzle, connected to some sort of metal tank that was being worn like a backpack.

"Alyssa, wizard, so glad you could both join me," the Subordinate said gleefully, advancing on the pair. "After I heard what you'd done to Sledgehammer, I couldn't wait to meet you. Poor Albert and Dorothy are getting a little boring; I'd love to have some fresh souls to play with."

"Now come here. The acid's _lovely!_"

_AN: Sadly, I could not figure out a way to fit Dennis into the story without it seeming awkward, so our spazzy redhead friend will not be joining Alyssa and Harry on their quest. I know, it's a tragedy :,)_

_On another note… I've decided I _hate _this level from a writing perspective._


	6. Acid and Sewage

AN: Still not mine

Chapter 6: Acid and Sewage

Alyssa didn't think; she acted. Grabbing her bottle, she splashed the new Subordinate with a generous helping of holy water before he managed to take another step.

"Ah! Hot hot hot!" the man yelped, patting desperately at the blue flames that were now burning all over his body.

"Come on, Harry, we need to get out of here!" she said, shoving the camera into one of her blazer's inner pockets.

A moment later, she realized that would be easier said than done. Corroder hadn't managed to fully clear the doorway before Alyssa had stunned him, and his wild thrashing made it risky to approach. Harry, thankfully, had another idea. "Come on, out the window," he said, not taking his eyes off the Subordinate. "I'll lower you down."

It was temping, but Harry couldn't stun Subordinates the way Alyssa could. "You go first," she shot back. "I still have water, I'll be fine." Harry hesitated, causing Alyssa to huff. "Go on, out the window!" she said. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Go, I'll be fine!"

Harry grimaced, clearly debating on whether or not to push the issue, but a glance at the Subordinate seemed to persuade him. "Alright," he said, hurriedly backing to the window before clambering out.

Once she was sure Harry was on his way, Alyssa turned, only to jump when she realized that the blue fire was almost gone! Squeaking, she splashed Corroder again just as he started to raise his weird spray-nozzle thing: she was pretty sure she knew what was in that tank and she did _not _want to test if a Sigil Stone could save her from an acid attack (she was pretty sure it would, but she doubted it would be pleasant).

What was really worrying was that this Subordinate seemed to recover much more quickly than Sledgehammer. Was it simply because he was more powerful? Or did the amount of holy water have some effect: she hadn't really paid attention to how much she'd splashed Sledgehammer with, or how much tended to hit him. As she watched the flames burn, she tried to keep track of exactly how long the possessed man was disabled for, but the stress of the moment meant she wasn't confident in her accuracy.

"Come on! I'm ready!"

Dashing to the window, Alyssa grabbed the rope Harry had found somewhere, wondering again as to why it was so rough. However, as she started to clamber out the window, Harry shook his head. "No time! Jump, I'll catch you!"

For a moment, Alyssa wondered how the slight boy could hope to do that before remembering that he was a wizard: that bus had been far bigger than her and he'd held it up well enough. Still, it took her a few seconds to muster the courage to leap.

For a moment, the sickening sense of falling made Alyssa squeeze her eyes shut, her instincts screaming that she'd just made a huge mistake, but as that moment passed a strange pressure, comforting like a hug, surrounded her, slowing her fall. Cracking her eyes open, she looked down to see Harry standing on the street, his wand pointed at her even as his eyes seemed locked on something on the ground. Frowning, she tried to turn herself in the spell that was lowering her to the ground, but she couldn't see anything that would warrant that sort of focus.

"Harry? Something wrong?" she asked as her feet touched down.

"Nothing," Harry said, a strange high note in his as he finally looked up at Alyssa. She frowned when she noticed the slight flush on his face. "Nothing, everything's fine, we should go."

"But-"

"No, really, let's go."

As much as Alyssa wanted to push the issue, the sheer awkwardness on Harry's face, combined with the fact that surely the holy water had worn off by now, made her decide to drop it. "Alright, let's find a place to hide while we figure out what to do next," she said, pointing down the street. There were several alleys they could duck into easily, allowing them to lose their pursuer at least for a while. Harry nodded very quickly, and the pair hurried off.

The sound of laughter from behind them caused Alyssa to look back, wondering if Corroder had somehow already gotten out of the house, but she was surprised to see him standing at the window, shaking his sprayer like a barbarian. "Prepare to die!" she heard him cry just as he swung.

It took Alyssa a second to realize this was not just a threat: the glob of acid, nearly invisible in the rain, shot towards her. Unfortunately, by the time she recognized the threat, it was too late. "Feck!" she cried as the acid hit her. Thankfully, there was only a split-second burning sensation before a Sigil Stone shattered, throwing the rest of the deadly liquid away in a brilliant flash of light, but it still _hurt!_

"Alyssa!" Harry shouted, skidding to a halt.

"I'm fine," Alyssa gasped, watching Corroder begin to shake his weapon again. "That's just not fair! There's no way he can build up enough pressure-" she yelped as another blast of acid shot towards her, but thankfully she was able to dodge this one.

"Magical serial killers, remember," Harry said, grabbing Alyssa's arm to steady her as she slipped on the wet road. "They can do whatever they want. Come on, let's go!" Ducking another acid attack, the pair dashed down the road, diving into an alley to avoid any further trouble. Alyssa almost stopped, only to be nearly jerked off her feet as Harry kept going, her wrist still gripped in his off hand. Deciding that Harry was probably right, Alyssa followed him, not even asking him to let go despite his greater speed occasionally tugging her arm.

Finally, in a completely different alley, Harry slowed to a halt. "I think we've lost him," he said, looking around. As his eyes turned back to her, he flushed as he finally let go. "Sorry for dragging you around," he said, kicking at the ground.

"It's okay," Alyssa said, sinking down onto a set of stairs to catch her breath. Again, she bemoaned her previous lack of interest in physical education and swore that, if she survived this mess, she would do _much _better. "You're trying to protect me. It's nice to know you care."

Harry sat down next to Alyssa, spinning his wand through his fingers. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Alyssa nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the Sigil Stone that had saved her, watching it disintegrate in her hand. "These are really something," she said. "I wonder if they work on things other than Subordinates? Like, if some random person stabbed me…" she shook her head. "No, we have enough problems without creating new ones."

"True," Harry said. "So, what's our plan now?"

The pair sat in silence for a few seconds before Alyssa pulled out the notebook. "Corroder mentioned someone named Dorothy. Albert was looking for his mother, and this mentions that there were two people living in the house. Maybe if we can find the other person, we can figure out what the sentimental item is and where it might be." She grimaced. "If I had to guess, she might be at the sewer plant the note mentions."

"Makes sense," Harry said, looking around. "We should probably go find some more water: I don't think sewer water would be considered clean enough for your bottle."

"Don't say that," Alyssa whined. "This is Mum's; she'd kill me if I put anything even _resembling _sewer water in it!"

Harry laughed slightly. "Of course," he said. Alyssa frowned at the slightly wistful note in Harry's voice. Before she could think whether she should ask, Harry pushed himself to his feet. "There's a fountain back where we started out; let's head that way."

Alyssa was a bit worried that the Subordinate would be thinking along the same lines; but Harry was right that she needed more water: without it she was powerless, and it wasn't fair to expect Harry to do all the work himself. "Alright," she said as she took Harry's offered hand to help her up. If they might have held on a little longer than strictly necessary, neither of them mentioned it as she continued. "We should avoid the main streets as much as possible; if Corroder has a ranged attack, we should stick to more enclosed spaces when possible." Harry nodded, and the pair set off, keeping their ears peeled for any hint of the Subordinate's presence.

They quickly realized that it would be more difficult than just turning towards where they remembered the park being and walking straight. The alleys of this city were twisting and turning, often blocked off by metal walls for no apparent reason. Time and again, the pair were forced to make their way back to the main road simply to get their bearings, and every time Alyssa was afraid that they'd be spotted, that Corroder would be standing on some rooftop or second-story window to snipe at them. That fear, as much as the instinctual terror at being melted alive by acid, made her almost wish for the fear that Sledgehammer had inspired.

Harry, bless him, remained calm and focused, reminding Alyssa silently to pause at every corner to make sure they didn't round it straight into Corroder. His steady strength, more than anything else, kept Alyssa going, knowing that whatever the Subordinate or the horrible man still lurking in her home tried to do to her, Harry would be there to help her through it. No matter how upset she was that a boy younger than her had been forced to fight monsters and dark wizards (seriously, what was _wrong _with his school?!) it was nice to have a veteran by her side.

Beside her, Harry paused for a moment and looked down at the can he'd just nudged with his foot. "Say, what do you think would happen if we put some of the holy water from your bottle into another container?" he asked. "It's our best weapon by far; the more of it we have, the better off we'll be, right?"

As always, Harry made sense, but something told Alyssa it couldn't be that easy. Something so powerful, so magical, stored in a tin can? "It's worth a try, I guess," she said, trying to keep the doubt out of her voice. Harry must have recognized it from the slight frown, but he picked the can up anyways.

Eventually, after several more wrong turns and one instance of diving behind an overflowing trash bin as Corroder stomped along nearby, the Rooder and wizard arrived at the fountain. Alyssa quickly dipped her mostly-empty bottle in, waited for the bubbles to stop rising, then pulled it out to let the water transform.

"Alright," she said once the water was glowing uniformly, "let's give your idea a try." Harry held out the can held, and Alyssa poured some of her water in. The pair stared breathlessly at it for several seconds, only to wilt in disappointment as the water faded back to normal.

"Well, that didn't work," Harry said, moodily spilling the water onto the ground.

"It was a good idea," Alyssa said soothingly. "And I think you're onto something. We just need a way to preserve…" A sudden epiphany caused her to gasp. "The vials! I was wondering why they looked like the Sacred bottle but couldn't purify water, but maybe they're just meant to _store _it once the bottle has done the hard work!" Pulling out one of the vials, she spilled some of the water as she poured it in. Again, the pair waited eagerly, but this time the water remained glowing holy water.

"Excellent," Harry said as Alyssa proceeded to fill the others. "Alright, now what do we do?"

"Now, you _die!_"

Alyssa yelped; in her eagerness she had forgotten to pay attention to the world around her. Acting on instinct, she dove to the side just in time to avoid a spray of acid from Corroder's nozzle. However, she lost her footing on the wet ground, falling to the rough stone with a cry. Gritting her teeth at the pain, Alyssa raised her bottle and waved it at Corroder.

She mistimed it. The bottle, depleted from filling up the smaller vials, only lasted through the first half of her swing, and most of that holy water splattered across the ground. Only a few measly drops landed on Corroder, causing a few flickering embers of blue fire that he patted out without even a grunt of pain. "Clumsy girl," Corroder crowed, advancing menacingly as he raised his sprayer. "You think just because you beat one of us you're something special? You're _nothing, _Alyssa! Nothing at-"

"_**Expecto Patronum**_**!**"

The silver stag burst from the end of Harry's wand and slammed into Corroder just as he was about to splash Alyssa. "Come on, Alyssa, this way!" Harry shouted, dashing over and trying to help Alyssa to her feet. "Let's go!"

"One second! Hold him off!" Alyssa cried as she clambered to her feet. They needed more water, four vials simply weren't enough to do anything. Dashing back over to the fountain, she dipped the bottle in and started letting it fill.

Behind her, Harry let out a sharp hiss of pain. Turning, Alyssa saw him stumble slightly as his Patronus was sprayed by Corroder, the acid seeming to cause the bright silver light to flicker.

Oh, _not good!_

* * *

Harry did not have many memories that he could truly call happy. The first ten years of his life were right out: the torment he'd faced at the Dursley's hands left little to be happy about. Even Hogwarts, his true home and the place where he belonged, had often been uncomfortable: given the cold shoulder in his first year, believed to be the Heir of Slytherin in his second, the fear and anger surrounding Sirius before he learned the truth at the end of his third.

However, Hogwarts also had times capable of calling up a Patronus. The one he had been focusing on was near the end of second year, when he and Ron had succeeded in closing the Chamber of Secrets for good. The memory of everyone laughing and happy, the fear of Hogwarts closing for good gone at last. It was a moment that was locked in Harry's mind; he had thought forever.

Now… as the magical acid ate at his Patrons, it almost seemed like the details were blurring before his eyes. Even the best moments: Hermione sprinting to join him and Ron, Hagrid scooping them up in a hug… it was as if the color, the light, was going out of the memory. It was still there; he still knew what had happened… but it was weaker that before.

"Harry!" Alyssa cried, pulling one of the vials out of her pocket and splashing it in Corroder's face as he started shaking his weapon again. "Come on, let's go!" Harry nodded, blinking away the pain in his head as he followed after the redhead, leaving the man to desperately rub at his mask as the blue fire burned.

Once again, the pair ducked into the alleys, zigging and zagging in the hope of throwing off the Subordinate long enough to get their bearings and make a plan. Finally, finding a covered doorway to protect them from the rain, they sat down. Even Harry, who was used to running from threats, was panting slightly at having to do so twice in twenty minutes.

After a few minutes, Alyssa pulled her handkerchief out again, put some holy water on it, and started daubing her skinned knee. "Are you hurt, Harry?" she asked.

"No, I'm fine," Harry said.

For some reason, Alyssa gave Harry an unamused look. "So the rubbing your forehead is completely normal?" she said.

Sighing, Harry shook his head. "My head aches a bit," he said. "But really, it's not that bad. It's been way worse before."

Again, Alyssa had a strangely sad look on her face as Harry said this, but thankfully she didn't make a fuss about it this time. "Was it because of what happened to your stag?" she asked softly. "What is it, anyways? It seems… special. Even more than most of your magic."

"It's called a Patronus," Harry said. "It's a spell I learned to protect myself from Dementors." Alyssa frowned slightly, but nodded for him to continue. "It's made of a good memory, a happy memory."

"Memory… Harry, whenever a Subordinate hits your Patronus, are you losing your memory?"

Harry shrugged. "Kinda? I mean, I still-."

Alyssa looked horrified. "Are you- Oh my God, Harry, really? You're giving up your _memories _for me?!" Harry blinked as he realized the girl grabbed his hand in both of hers, squeezing it desperately. "Harry, please, _please _don't use that unless you absolutely have to! You've already done so much-"

"I still remember everything!" Harry said, flushing uncomfortably. "It's just a little fuzzy; you don't need to worry about me."

"Really?" Alyssa whispered.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I'll be fine; better than either of us dying or losing some of our Sigil Stones."

The redhead stared at him for a few seconds longer before sighing. "Okay, I trust you, Harry," she said. "But… please, don't be too reckless. Just because we _can _fight Subordinates doesn't necessarily mean we _should_. Not until we can end them once and for all. I don't want anything to happen to you. You've done so much for me…"

"Okay," Harry said as Alyssa trailed off. "I promise I'll be careful if you will."

"Okay."

The pair stared at each other for a few seconds longer before Alyssa seemed to remember what she was doing and let go of Harry's hand, her cheeks taking on a delicate pink shade. Coughing, she pushed herself quickly to her feet. "Alright, I'm nearly full on water, so we should be able to go find the sewer now."

"Right, right," Harry said, standing up himself. "So, do we know where it is?"

"Nope," Alyssa said cheerfully. "But it's where we need to go, so let's go looking for it. Come on, let's go." Harry rolled his eyes slightly as the girl turned and started walking down the alley, but he followed her anyways, smiling slightly. The most important thing right now as that they keep moving.

The pair walked in silence for several minutes, once again keeping their ears peeled for any hint of Corroder. Harry was grateful they hadn't become trapped in a building like they had with Sledgehammer: combining that with Corroder's ranged attacks would have been catastrophic. Out here, there was just so much space they could be in that it was far less likely the Subordinate would stumble across them, and even if he did they would be able to evade him.

Alyssa came to a halt, raising a hand. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.

Harry closed his eyes briefly to focus. "No- wait, I think so. A moaning noise?"

"Yeah," Alyssa said, turning her head slowly. "I think it's another ghost. Come on, let's free them before Corroder shows up. This way, hurry!" The pair picked up their pace, almost trotting towards the moaning noise, only to pause when the saw the ghost floating back and forwards on a main street.

"My pendant… my pendant…"

"…We've got to do it," Alyssa said after a moment. "We can't leave them; not when we can help. Besides, they might be able to help us find the sewer treatment place we're looking for. Keep an eye out for Corroder: I've got this."

Harry frowned; as much as he was glad that Alyssa was confident in herself she was still relatively new at this. Not that he was really that much more experienced… pushing the worry to the back of his mind, Harry spoke up. "Are you sure? I can distract the ghost and keep an eye out at the same time."

"Not safely," Alyssa said. "It's okay: remember ghosts can be stopped by holy water just like subordinates; I'll be fine." She frowned. "Besides, it's really important for us to keep special awareness. Corroder's too sneaky for my liking: he's gotten the drop on us a few times and I don't want to keep relying on his inability to keep his mouth shut to save us. Eventually he'll figure out that if he just starts spraying he'll do much better."

"Hopefully not," Harry said with a grimace. "It's so much nicer when the bad guys are dumb."

Alyssa's frown turned into a barely suppressed giggle. "True," she said. "Alright, watch my back; I'll find this ghost's pendant and we'll get out of here." Taking a breath, she stepped out into the street and marched down it with purpose, her head turning to take in everything.

Harry slipped out of the alley himself a moment later, pressing his back to the wall and did Alyssa asked and kept watch for the Subordinate. If he also used some of his attention span to keep an eye on Alyssa, could anyone really blame him? As she kept saying, they were symbiotic: they needed to look out for each other.

The Rooder, meanwhile, was doing her best to avoid the ghost as she searched for the pendant that was missing, but it seemed that she couldn't play keep away forever. As she passed too close to the spirit as she scanned some rubble scattered at a corner, the ghost turned, let out a keening wail, and lunged for her. Ducking, Alyssa splashed a little of her water onto it, causing it to freeze as she darted past it and continued her search. Finally, just as Harry was about to throw caution to the wind and go help her so they could get out of here, Alyssa gave a small cry of triumph and hurried towards a large dumpster.

"I see it! Hanging from that- oh… oh God that's disgusting!" Alyssa squealed, covering her face with a hand. Focusing, Harry tried to figure out what she was upset about, only to bite back a word that would have made Hermione upset with him when he realized that the heart-shaped pendant was hanging from the decomposing finger of a body, sticking out of the trash. Harry wondered briefly which was worse: if the person had been killed and then shoved in the garbage or if they'd been thrown in the garbage and then died. The then decided that he really didn't want to know.

Alyssa took a deep breath before reaching out and grabbing the pendant. Holding it gingerly before her, she turned to the approaching ghost. "I have found what has been lost," she said as the ghost froze in place, staring at its Sentimental Item. "Now, I return it to you, so that you may pass on in peace." Reaching forward, she deposited the pendant in the ghost's heart before raising her bottle to send them on. "Please… I need to know where the sewer plant is. It's very important that we get there."

As the ghost glowed and vanished, Harry could swear he saw a faint smile. A moment later, a pair of objects fell; the expected Sigil Stone as well as a rolled up piece of paper.

"Thank you," Alyssa called, grabbing the offerings before quickly retreating to Harry. "Come on," she hissed," let's go, let's get out of here before Corroder shows up!" Harry quickly nodded, and the two hurried around the corner. Every step they took, Harry expected to hear Corroder's maniacal laughter or feel the burn of acid, but miraculously it seemed that they'd gotten away with their detour.

A few alleys later, Alyssa ducked under an overhang and unrolled the paper. "Yes! A map," she said. "And here's the sewer plant, the ghost must have marked it for us!" Then, slowly, she frowned. "Wait a minute… the Rand house is marked as well. So is the park where we started…"

Harry glanced at the map himself, forcing back a bemused laugh. "Merlin, if we'd just gone the other way when we left the Rand's, we'd have pretty much walked right into it!" Shaking his head, Harry leaned back. "Well, at least we know where to go now. Should we stop by the fountain to fill up, or just go straight to the sewers?"

Alyssa frowned thoughtfully, rolling up the map. "We should at least check to see if Corroder's hanging around: the more holy water I have the more I'll be able to help you fight."

"Right," Harry said. "We should hurry; hopefully Corroder's still investigating where the ghost was and we can slip by."

"Hopefully," Alyssa said. "Alright, let's go."

Thankfully, Harry was getting better at figuring out where they were: he recognized a few of the alleys they passed through, and with the addition of the map they made better progress back towards the park with the fountain. Once they reached it, Harry stayed outside to keep watch while Alyssa darted in and filled up her bottle and the spent vial: neither of them wanted a repeat of the last time they'd been here.

"Something's up," Alyssa said nervously as she rejoined Harry. "Corroder's been too quiet: Sledgehammer never left us alone if he could help it: what's this one planning?"

"I mean, they're not omniscient," Harry said, leading the way back into the alleys so that they could head towards the sewer plant. "Maybe he hasn't figured out what we're doing yet." Alyssa didn't look convinced, and honestly neither was Harry. This was the Subordinate's home: he probably knew every inch of it. He had to know what they were up to. Therefore, as the pair paused across the road from the sewer plant, Harry stopped Alyssa to check the area.

A shining blue sigil blocked the door, the first they'd seen since the Rand house. However, between them and it was a tall chain-link fence. There was a gate, but it was locked by a heavy padlock. Surprisingly, even as Harry scanned the surrounding streets and alleys, there was no sign of Corroder. "Alright," Harry said. "I don't see him anywhere, let's move. I'll get the lock."

"Are you sure?" Alyssa said worriedly. "I don't like this…"

"Neither do I, but we can't just stand here." The girl nodded slowly. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll go first while you keep an eye out." With that, Harry slipped out of the alley and towards the gate.

In hindsight, he really should have listened to Alyssa: his own instincts were telling him this had been going too well.

Just as he was reaching the gate and starting his incantation, Alyssa screamed from behind him. "LOOK OUT!" Stumbling back, Harry was just in time to see a jet of acid streaking down from the roof of the sewer building before it slammed into him, knocking him back in a flash of light as a Sigil Stone shattered in his pocket.

"I found you!" Corroder cackled as he stood up from where he had been crouched, out of sight. "Prepare to die!"

"_Alohomora!_" Harry spat, ducking through gate as it burst open and taking cover in the overhang of the entrance just as another blast of acid slammed into the ground, causing the pavement to hiss.

"Harry! Are you alright?!" Alyssa called across the street, only to be forced to duck back as another jet of acid was launched her way.

"Come on, stick your head out, Alyssa!" Corroder called. "Your little wizard friend can't get in without you. Duck and weave for me, make it a challenge! How many of your precious Sigil Stones are you willing to lose to get to him? Or are you just going to leave him there to die!" Suddenly, a stream of acid poured down in front of Harry, causing him to throw himself back to avoid the splatter. "In case you get any ideas of leaving, wizard!"

"Harry-"

"Alyssa, don't!" Harry cut in. "Stay there, don't risk yourself!" The redhead peeked out, only to be driven back again. "I mean it, I'm fine for now. Just… just give me a little time."

"Oh, how very _noble _of you, little boy! Willing to lay down your life? I'll tell you what; if you promise to leave and never return, I will let you out of my world." Behind him, the door clicked open, the sigil fading but not vanishing. "Come in, come in, enter my humble abode."

Harry rolled his eyes: did these people truly not understand that he wasn't going to abandon Alyssa to save his own skin? He was no Wormtail, and even if he was the monster would probably kill him as soon as he came in. However, he had to admit he was in a bit of a sticky situation. Corroder had obviously prepared this trap well: he would have prepared for Harry to try and make a break for it, and no matter how good at dodging bludgers he'd gotten, he wasn't keen to test the Subordinate's aim. By all appearances, he was well and truly stuck.

However, Harry thought with a savage grin as he reached for the bulge underneath Dudley's old coat, he did have an ace that he hadn't shown yet.

* * *

Alyssa pressed her back against the cold, dirty wall, wondering if she wanted to risk peeking again, if only to make sure that Harry was still okay. Intellectually, she knew that she should circle around, try to find another alley, but the mere thought of stepping away while Harry was in danger felt like a betrayal.

What else could she do though? No matter how much she wanted to rush to his side, she knew that she'd never be able to dodge all of the acid blasts, and between them they only had five sigil stones left, and they were going to have to go into an enclosed space with Corroder. They simply couldn't afford to lose any more outside.

Alyssa shook her head, what was she _thinking?! _She couldn't afford to lose _Harry! _She would be utterly lost without him. Steeling herself, she peeked out.

Harry was gone.

For a long second, all Alyssa could do was stare. Had he gotten out somehow? No, there had been no shouts from Corroder, surely he would have said something if Harry had made a break for it? Her heart fell, had the Subordinate somehow killed Harry already? She shook her head, that wasn't possible. Harry still had Sigil Stones, he'd be fine for a little while, and if Corroder had somehow killed Harry he would _certainly _have said something.

Had Harry… taken Corroder's offer?

No… no surely Harry wouldn't do that to her. He'd never turn on her like that, not after all he'd done, right? He wouldn't leave her? Although… what right did Alyssa really have to ask Harry to risk his life for her? She'd dragged him into this, nearly gotten him killed… if he did want out, could she really blame him? She'd just have to- A splash of acid drove Alyssa back behind the wall with a hiss: she really should move…

"I thought I told you to stay out of sight?" Alyssa squeaked as she spun to see Harry's _head _floating in the air next to her, a slightly annoyed look on his face. As she started to open her mouth, his hand and arm appeared from thin air to cover it. "Shh! Corroder doesn't know I'm here, let's keep it that way!"

"But… how…" Alyssa spluttered past Harry's hand.

Stepping back, Harry pulled off a long cloak that seemed to appear as it left his body, revealing him as it did. "My dad's old Invisibility Cloak," he said, holding it up for Alyssa to see. It was beautiful, almost seeming like it was woven from liquid silver as it flowed and fluttered in the breeze.

"So wait…" Alyssa said. "You've had this thing the whole time?"

"Not in Sledgehammer's world," Harry said. "I grabbed it after we got out, while you were still unconscious."

"But ever since we got here," Alyssa said, her voice flat even to her ears. "You've been able to turn invisible, and you didn't think to mention it?"

"It… never came up?"

Alyssa huffed. "Alright, so we need to get over there. Does the cloak work on more than one person at a time?"

Harry nodded, though slightly hesitantly. "Yeah, Ron, Hermione and me have moved under it several times, but mostly when we were younger. I'm not sure we'd both… fit."

Alyssa studied the cloak: it was true that if they wore it like it was intended to be, it would never cover both of them. However… "It's better than nothing, if we drape it over ourselves like a blanket," Alyssa said. "We might have to stoop a bit."

For some reason, Harry flushed slightly. "Yeah, I took all that into account," he started, "but-"

"Alyssa? Come out, come out, little girl," Corroder's taunting voice echoed. "Or are you doing the smart thing and leaving your wizard to die in your place?"

"…Alright," Harry said, holding up the cloak. "Just… sorry. In advance."

As Alyssa moved closer so that Harry could drape the cloak over both of them, she realized very quickly why he was flustered. The cloak was big, big enough that it would probably drag on the ground a bit if Harry were to wear it properly himself, but they were still trying to fit two teenagers under it. It was like the alcove where they'd hidden from Sledgehammer: Alyssa was forced to basically hug Harry as they hunched over slightly to let the silvery material cover their shoes. 'It's better than dying,' she repeated firmly to herself. 'It's better than dying. It's not even that bad. Harry's nice, he's my friend; it's actually kind of nice being this close to him.'

…Wait, where had _that _come from?

Alyssa was very glad that they were making their way forwards, their eyes alternating between their feet and Corroder, still standing on the roof, because that meant Harry didn't see how her face was surely turning red. This was improper: a girl her age should _not _be this comfortable to have a boy she barely knew all but cuddling her! Mum would be so disappointed in her!

Although… Harry was undoubtable a good person. He'd helped Alyssa, saved her, stood by her through all the troubles that had come her way. They were certainly friendly with each other: and while she'd never seen him outside of a dangerous situation, he just couldn't envision his natural goodness diminishing. Was it truly so wrong to feel close to him?

"Alright, we're here," Harry breathed into Alyssa's ear, causing her to jerk in surprise (she refused to acknowledge the slight shudder that had nothing to do with surprise.)

"Right," she forced herself to say, fiddling with her bottle. After a few seconds, she was able to extricate her arm, reach outside the protection of the cloak and pour some water onto the sigil, causing it to break.

"HEY!"

"Come on, let's go," Harry hissed as the door opened up.

"Right," Alyssa said, and the pair made their way into the sewer plant, still under the cloak. The strange warmth was fading from Alyssa as she realized that Corroder was almost certainly dashing down to try and find them, and any slip-up on her part could get both her and Harry killed. She had to _focus!_

The room they entered looked like someone was trying to make a tasteful reception area but gave up halfway through. There was plenty of seating, but it was all hard benches or rusted folding chairs. There was a desk, but it was covered in dust and detritus, giving no clue as to its intended purpose. Behind it were three dirty, metal doors.

"So which way do we think?" Harry whispered.

"Let's open all of them and see which one Corroder comes through," Alyssa breathed back. "Invisible or not, we don't want to run into him in a tight corridor."

"Right," Harry said, his wand sticking out from under the cloak to point at each door in turn, causing them to groan open on rusted hinges. The pair nearly stumbled as they both tried to back up in slightly different directions at the same time, but thankfully they were able to keep their balance and stay hidden, moving off to one side and waiting.

A few minutes later, Corroder burst in from the middle door, his head and acid sprayer sweeping the room. He paused briefly as he stared at the two open doors, before giving an annoyed grunt and storming into the left one.

Alyssa felt Harry nudge her side and nod towards the door Corroder had come out of. Alyssa supposed that made sense: surely the last place Corroder would think to look for them would be back the way he'd come, and the more they knew about their surroundings, the better chance they'd had to evade him later: eventually he'd figure out that they had a way of turning invisible.

The pair slipped through the door, and a moment later Harry tugged the cloak off. "We should be clear for a while," he whispered. "Come on, we should move fast before he finishes searching the other doors." Alyssa nodded, taking a moment to stretch before leading the way down the dirty hallway.

"How could anyone work in conditions like this?" she asked, curling her lip at the scent.

"Well, this is a _sewer _plant, maybe they just figured they'd go all in on the theme," Harry said dryly. Alyssa bit back a laugh as she checked the first door: a locker room of some sort. As tempting as it was to poke around, Harry was right that they needed to get some distance between them and Corroder before they started poking around too much. Making sure to close the door, she continued down the hall.

A few doors and a set of stairs later, Alyssa raised a hand to bring Harry to a halt. "I think I hear another ghost," she said softly.

Harry cocked his head for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I hear it too. That way, you think?"

"Sounds like it," Alyssa said. "Hurry, let's free them before Corroder gets back!" The pair shifted directions, hurrying towards the faint moaning. They had to guess more than Alyssa was comfortable with: the corridors were tight and winding, making it difficult for them to tell exactly where the ghostly sounds were coming from.

"Be careful," Harry said as they got closer, "Corroder has to have guessed that we got by him somehow; if he knows this ghost is here then he could decide it would be a good ambush point."

"True," Alyssa said. "When we find it, use your cloak and keep watch: I'll deal with it like last time."

"Okay," Harry said after only a slight pause (progress!) "Just be- aagh!"

Spinning, Alyssa saw ghostly arms reaching through the wall to grab Harry, who was grimacing in pain even as he tried to wrench away. "Harry!" she yelped, splashing his arm with some of her Holy Water. The ghost let go with a keening wail, one that surely echoed throughout the entire building!

Harry cursed under his breath. "Go!" he snapped, grabbing his cloak from under his coat and throwing it over his shoulders. "Don't worry about me: I'll get the drop on Corroder-"

"Only if you need to!" Alyssa said hurriedly, turning and running towards the door to the room the ghost's arm had come from as the Subordinate's laughter echoed from somewhere below them. "The longer we can keep him guessing on the cloak, the better off we'll be! I'll be quick!" With that, she threw the door open and darted in.

The ghost hovered against the wall, holding its burning hand as its baleful eyes turned on her. "Intruder…" it hissed, starting to float in her direction.

Alyssa blinked: this wasn't normal. "Your item!" she gasped, dodging backwards. "What's your item?"

"Intruder…" the ghost hissed again, raising its arms towards her. Alyssa bit back a curse of her own: she'd never heard a ghost state its item when it was angered; and the room was too small to get it to focus on something else. If she could, she'd retreat, but Corroder was on his way and they didn't have _time! _Raising her Sacred Bottle, she splashed the ghost, causing it to float back and hiss. Then, she started hurrying around the room, desperately looking for anything out of place…

There! A roll of film lay in one corner, something that had no business being in a sewer plant. Dashing over, she picked it up just as she sensed the ghost turn its malevolent gaze on her again. Spinning, she held out the film.

The ghost did not stop.

Gasping, Alyssa almost didn't dodge the lunge in time, being forced to dive to the side. She fell hard, letting out a small cry of pain as something dug into her side. The camera, the stupid, empty camera she'd found in the Rand house and shoved into her pocket once Corroder arrived.

Wait… the _empty _camera?

Acting on instinct as the ghost loomed over her, starting to reach down to grab her, Alyssa rolled onto her other side, grabbed the camera from her pocket, and shoved it into the ghost's face, finally causing it to freeze.

"I have found what has been lost," Alyssa said, placing the film into the camera before pressing it into the ghost's heart. "Now, I return it to you, so that you may pass on in peace." A faint smile crossed the ghost's face as it started to glow and vanish, and a moment later two objects fell away from it: a piece of paper and a Sigil Stone. Grabbing them, Alyssa clambered to her feet and darted out the door.

Unfortunately, the delays had taken their toll, and just as Alyssa was about to start trying to figure out how to find Harry when he was invisible, Corroder stormed around the corner. "I found you!" he cackled, stepping forward towards Alyssa and waving his weapon.

The door he was standing next to sprang open with a bang, knocking him back with a pained cry. As he stumbled backwards, a cable of some sort that had been laying across the hall tightened, causing him to trip with a yelp and a massive _crash. _"This way, Alyssa!" Harry's voice hissed from nowhere. The girl nodded, forcing her eyes away from the way the Subordinate flailed like a turtle that had been tipped over. Thankfully, the sound of their footsteps was covered up by Corroder's yelling and cursing as the pair moved away.

"Come on, under here!" Harry said, his arm appearing from under the cloak. Alyssa was tempted, but she shook her head.

"The halls are too narrow! We need to find someplace with more space. Come on, let's head back downstairs, there's something we need to look at!"

Thankfully, the hallway looped, so the pair were able to get back to the stairway and hurry down before Corroder caught up. As they dashed back towards the entry room, Harry reappeared, skidding to a halt and opened the door to the locker room Alyssa had checked earlier. "In here!" he hissed. "There's places to hide in here, and we'll throw him off."

The sound of footsteps on the stairs behind them made up Alyssa's mind. "Alright," she said, darting into the room. Harry followed, gesturing with his wand and causing the door to the entrance room to slam shut with a massive bang, hopefully loud enough to cover up the sound of the locker room door clicking shut. The pair tucked themselves into a back corner, holding their breath as the sound of the Subordinate came closer… closer… and then faded as he passed. A moment later, the faint hissing noise of acid being sprayed. Alyssa just had time to wonder what Corroder was up to when am massive _clang _caused her to jump.

"I suppose since he doesn't have a big hammer, he has to come up with creative ways to get through locked doors," Harry whispered. "That should buy us some time."

"Good," Alyssa said, pulling out the paper that the ghost had dropped. "Let's take a look at this while we have a moment."

It turned out to be two pieces of paper: a diagram of a building on the larger sheet and a photo on the other. "This must be the treatment plant," Alyssa said as she studied the map. "Yeah, look! Crawley Treatment Plant!"

Harry, meanwhile, was looking at the photo. "Huh," he said, turning it towards Alyssa to show an image of a man that could only be Corroder, standing outside somewhere. In the picture, the Subordinate was dumping a body down a shaft.

"That ghost must have been the reporter from the Rand house," Alyssa said, grimacing as she studied the picture. The body was a woman's, she could tell by the dress, but the old-fashioned picture was too blurry to tell much more. "I mean, the camera was his sentimental item…"

"Yeah, but that doesn't make any sense," Harry said. "He was killed back at the Rand house, how on Earth would his ghost have gotten here? And how does that photo even exist?"

"Magical ghosts, remember," Alyssa said drily. "They can do whatever they want." Harry snickered slightly, causing Alyssa to smile herself. It was good to be able to just… relax, even if it was only for an instant. "I guess that leads to the sewers themselves," she said, wrinkling her nose. "I am not looking forward to that."

"Yeah, me neither," Harry said. "But we've got to: that woman in the picture might be Mr. Rand's mother; it's the only hope we have."

"I know," Alyssa said. "I'm just not looking forward to it." Pushing herself to her feet, she pressed her ear to the wall. "I don't hear Corroder anywhere," she said after a moment. "Let's get the cloak on: according to the map the entrance to the sewers is at the back: either of the doors'll do."

"We should use the cloak again," Harry said, standing up himself. "The halls are tight, but it will give us some protection." Alyssa flushed slightly at the thought, but she couldn't think of any reason not to become invisible, so she nodded. Harry quickly unfurled the cloak and held it open, allowing Alyssa to tuck herself in next to him. Once they were sure that their feet were covered, the pair made their way back down the hall and into the new door. They faintly heard Corroder stomping around, but Harry gave Alyssa's arm a comforting squeeze as they moved slowly towards their destination.

The froze as Corroder came around the corner in front of them, snarling and muttering as he walked. Carefully, Harry pressed himself against the wall, pulling Alyssa with him. She held her breath, forcing herself not to cover her mouth and risk jostling the cloak.

As Corroder came closer and closer, Alyssa was struck by a sudden panic. Sledgehammer had been able to smell her! Would Corroder be able to do the same? Oh, why had she put on that lavender this morning… Harry must have sensed her distress, as his arm tightened ever so slightly, comforting her.

Then, Corroder was past them, his spray nozzle nearly snagging on the cloak as he waved it around, but he just missed, and to her dying day Alyssa would deny having a heart attack in that moment. The two teenagers waited with bated breath as the Subordinate continued down the hall, half expecting him to turn around at any second, but a moment later he was gone.

'That was way too close,' Alyssa thought as she and Harry continued on their way. "Alright, we're almost there," she breathed a minute later. "Just around this next corner, we should be good." For once, it seemed that fate was smiling on Alyssa: when they turned the next corner there was a door labeled Sewer Entrance just where the map had said it would be, and there wasn't even a sigil on it to let Corroder know they'd gotten by him. "Okay," she said, slipping out from under the cloak to move a little faster. "Just through here, let's… go…"

"Locked?" Harry asked as Alyssa jiggled the handle, frowning. "Let me," Alyssa nodded and stepped back, allowing Harry to point his wand at the door after extricating himself. "_Alohamora!_" The door clicked slightly, and Harry tried the handle, only to blink when it once again refused to open.

"Did you truly think it would be so easy?"

The pair spun as Corroder stormed around the corner, his nozzle raised threateningly. "I thought I felt you earlier, but I couldn't be sure. Such a naughty girl, bringing unfair advantages to our little game! I'll have to-"

"_Relashio,_" Harry hissed, pointing his wand up. One of the light-tubes hanging precariously along the ceiling shrieked as one of its moorings snapped, swinging the whole thing down into Corroder's face. "Oh, just shut it," Harry muttered.

"Agreed," Alyssa snapped, stepping forward and splashing a helping of holy water onto the Subordinate. "Harry, can you blow the door up? Like you did in the closet?"

Harry nodded. "Sure, stand back." Alyssa took a few steps back, careful to both keep an eye on Corroder and avoid his flailing. "_Expulso!_" Harry said, pointing his wand ad the door again. Once again, there was a brilliant flash of light and a ringing _boom, _but this time when the blast faded the door was still there. Fragmented, shattered, but still standing. It only took Alyssa a moment to realize why: there was a black sigil on the other side of the door.

"Oh that's just cheating," she snapped, splashing Corroder with another helping of water as the blue fire began to fade. "Come on, Harry, let's go, there must be another way down there."

"Right behind you," Harry said.

As the pair hurried away, Alyssa grabbed the floor plan the reporter's ghost had given her, desperately scanning it for any hint of where to go next. The only marked entrance to the sewers was the one they'd just tried, but she _knew _there had to be a path, that there must be a way…

"Alyssa, wait," Harry said.

"We don't have time, we have to keep moving before Corroder-"

"I think I know how we can get in."

Alyssa skidded to a halt, spinning. "How?"

Harry grimaced. "I don't think you'll like it," he said, holding out a hand. "Let me see the picture."

"Okay…" Alyssa said, holding out the floor plan and picture. "But-"

"Alyssa!"

"Yeah, that'll work. Come on, this way," Harry said as Corroder's voice echoed down through the building; somehow both hurrying forward and staring at the paper without crashing into anything. Sparing a glance over her shoulder, Alyssa followed, wondering just what the wizard had in mind.

He led the way back to the entrance, then outside, then started circling around, before Alyssa finally realized what he was thinking. "No, Harry!" she squealed, skidding to a halt.

"Why not?" Harry asked. "We know that's where Mrs. Rand's body went, so if we want to find her, it's out best bet."

"But how will we get out?" Alyssa asked. "If the key's on this side…"

Harry shook his head. "But that doesn't make sense," he said. "You said it yourself, there's always a way, so if the sigil's on that side, surely the key is as well." He gestured with the map. "Besides, we've both looked at this and not seen any other way down. It's the best shot we have."

In here heart, Alyssa knew Harry was right, but _why? _Why would the universe be so cruel as to make her slide down a stinky sewer drain? "Fine," she muttered. "But if this doesn't work, I reserve the right to say I told you so."

"Alright," Harry said. "Come on, let's go."

The pair dashed around the outside of the building, staying within the fence. Finally, around back, Harry skidded to a halt. "This is it," he said, holding up the picture. "It's got to be." Alyssa peered over his shoulder before nodding: despite how grainy the old picture was there was no doubt that this was the right place. Harry led the way towards the metallic bin that Corroder had been dumping Mrs. Rand's body in. Throwing it open, Harry revealed a cold, wet, nasty slide leading down into the darkness.

Alyssa knew this was the way to go, she could feel it… but still, all she could do was pinch her nose and shake her head. "This can't be right, Harry," she whined. "This just can't be right…"

"I know it's not pleasant," Harry said patiently, "but we have to do it. It's the only way to save your mother."

"…Darn it," Alyssa groaned. The things she'd do for Mum…

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, I know a spell that can clean you up once we're down," Harry said. "Besides, this isn't the first time I've done something like this, it's not _that _bad."

"Shockingly, that's not the most comforting thing I've heard today," Alyssa said, gingerly climbing onto the slide. "But… thanks, for trying."

"That's what friends do," Harry said, grinning slightly. Alyssa sighed, took a deep breath, and let go, sliding down into darkness. Curse Subordinates, curse that man, curse _everything_ please please don't dump me in the sewer water I'll _never _get the smell out-

"Ouch!"


End file.
